Scheme
Real financial mismatch until recently
One of the 3-4 highest-paid coaches in the sport with zero CFP appearances at USC — 2025's step forward (9-4, No. 20 AP finish) is the strongest on-field justification yet for the contract.
BIG TEN FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 16 OF 18
USC TROJANS
2026 Season Snapshot • Los Angeles, California
9-4 (7-2 Big Ten)
B1G
2026 Schedule
Live schedule, lines and results for USC.
Loading schedule…
HEAD COACH
HANDICAPPING PROFILEHEAD COACH
Lincoln Riley — 5th season at USC
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
94-plus career; 33-19 at USC
USC ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
CBS Sports has ranked Riley's contract among the worst value deals in the sport ($3.35M per win at one stretch), given the gap between his $11.5M+
salary and USC's lack of CFP appearances since he arrived. 2025's 9-4
Delivered a Heisman winner (Caleb Williams) and consistent CFP-caliber
finish and top-15 ranking eased some of that pressure heading into 2026. talent, but has never reached the actual College Football Playoff at USC and is 0-3 against AP top-10 opponents in recent stretches. 2025 finished 9-4 (7- 2 Big Ten) with an Alamo Bowl overtime loss to TCU. HEAD COACH SALARY (2026) TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.) PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE $11.5M+ Not disclosed No active central collective Coach salary per USC's federal tax return (FY2024: $11.8M total comp, incl. $10.4M base). USC's original NIL collective, Student Body Right, shut down in Oct. 2022 after founder Barry Sternlicht's death without fulfilling promised $50K player payments — leaving athletes to arrange individual deals rather than a centralized program collective.
HANDICAPPING NOTES
- Real financial mismatch until recently: One of the 3-4 highest-paid coaches in the sport with zero CFP appearances at USC — 2025's step forward (9-4, No. 20 AP finish) is the strongest on-field justification yet for the contract.
- Gary Patterson hire is a genuine "boom or bust" bet: The TCU legend (2010 undefeated season, one of the sport's all-time defensive minds) returns to coordinating after time away from the game — huge pedigree, but real uncertainty about scheme fit with modern spread offenses.
- Losing two elite receivers (Lemon, Lane) to the NFL is a real offensive gap: USC was 8-0 when rushing for 130+ yards in 2025 and just 1-4 when it didn't — the run game (Jordan, Miller) may need to carry more of the offensive burden in 2026.
COORDINATORS & SCHEME
OFFENSE / DEFENSEOFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Luke Huard — 2nd season • Power raid
Jayden Maiava returns for his senior season (3,711 yds, 24 TD, 65.8% comp in 2025) behind a fully-returning offensive line. Must replace Biletnikoff winner Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane (128 combined catches, ~1,900 yards) — the offense's biggest question mark.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Gary Patterson • 1st season • 4-2-5
The winningest coach in TCU history and architect of a 2010 undefeated, nation's-best scoring defense. Inherits a unit that finished 49th nationally in 2025 and needs only 'a tweak, not an overhaul' per outside evaluators — genuine talent already in place, especially at linebacker.
2025 SEASON RECAP
RECORD & VENUE NOTES2025 RECORD
9–4 (7–2 Big Ten)
Alamo Bowl: L 27-30 (OT) vs. TCU. Finished No. 20-21 in the final polls — USC's best season of the Riley era relative to expectations, even without a CFP berth.
HOME FIELD
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Natural grass, Los Angeles. One of the most historic stadiums in college football, host to two Olympics — a genuine recruiting and brand asset even during USC's up-and-down Big Ten transition.
PRIMARY SKILL PLAYERS
2026 PROJECTED STARTERS| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Jayden Maiava | Sr | ★★★★★ | Returns for his senior season after 3,711 yds, 24 TD, 65.8% completion in 2025; considered one of the better signal-callers in the country entering 2026, now behind a fully-returning offensive line. |
| RB1 | Waymond Jordan | — | ★★★★★ | Averaged 6.5 ypc (576 yds) in an injury-shortened 2025 (missed 5 games, ankle surgery); back healthy for 2026 alongside breakout redshirt sophomore King Miller (972 yds, 8 TD in 2025). |
| WR1 | Tanook Hines | Soph | ★★★★★ | Productive freshman season (34 catches with Maiava, 561 yds, 2 TD); a former 10.5-second 100m sprinter who steps into the leading role after Lemon and Lane's NFL departures. |
| WR2 | Terrell Anderson | Jr | ★★★★★ | NC State transfer brought in specifically as a proven secondary receiving option to offset the loss of USC's star duo. |
QB1Jayden MaiavaSr★★★★★
Returns for his senior season after 3,711 yds, 24 TD, 65.8% completion in 2025; considered one of the better signal-callers in the country entering 2026, now behind a fully-returning offensive line.
RB1Waymond Jordan—★★★★★
Averaged 6.5 ypc (576 yds) in an injury-shortened 2025 (missed 5 games, ankle surgery); back healthy for 2026 alongside breakout redshirt sophomore King Miller (972 yds, 8 TD in 2025).
WR1Tanook HinesSoph★★★★★
Productive freshman season (34 catches with Maiava, 561 yds, 2 TD); a former 10.5-second 100m sprinter who steps into the leading role after Lemon and Lane's NFL departures.
WR2Terrell AndersonJr★★★★★
NC State transfer brought in specifically as a proven secondary receiving option to offset the loss of USC's star duo.
OFFENSIVE LINE
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entire line returns | OL | — | ★★★★★ | USC returns its entire starting offensive line from 2025 — a real structural advantage and one of the most complete units in the conference. |
Entire line returnsOL—★★★★★
USC returns its entire starting offensive line from 2025 — a real structural advantage and one of the most complete units in the conference.
HANDICAPPING NOTE — O-LINE
- Full line continuity behind a veteran QB gives USC a genuine foundation to lean on the run game while the receiving corps rebuilds around new faces.
DEFENSIVE LINE
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Jahkeem Stewart | DL | Former freshman phenom whose ceiling is considered "nearly unlimited" after playing through a foot injury in his 2025 breakout; the headline name of a defensive line viewed as a program strength. |
| Kameryn Crawford | DE | Led the team with 5.5 sacks in 2025; returns alongside Braylan Shelby (4.5 sacks) to anchor the edge. |
Jahkeem StewartDL
Former freshman phenom whose ceiling is considered "nearly unlimited" after playing through a foot injury in his 2025 breakout; the headline name of a defensive line viewed as a program strength.
Kameryn CrawfordDE
Led the team with 5.5 sacks in 2025; returns alongside Braylan Shelby (4.5 sacks) to anchor the edge.
LINEBACKERS
2026 PROJECTED- Called a "killer" unit by outside evaluators: Desman Stephens II led the team with 89 tackles and returns at middle linebacker, joined by the Jadyn Walker/Elijah Newby rotation and Washington transfer Deven Bryant (63 tackles in 2025) — arguably the deepest position group on the entire roster.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jontez Williams | CB | ★★★★★ | Iowa State transfer; 2026 Preseason First-Team All-Big Ten (Athlon) brought in to lead the secondary in Gary Patterson's first season, joining returning starters Marcelles Williams, Alex Graham, and Prophet Brown. |
Jontez WilliamsCB★★★★★
Iowa State transfer; 2026 Preseason First-Team All-Big Ten (Athlon) brought in to lead the secondary in Gary Patterson's first season, joining returning starters Marcelles Williams, Alex Graham, and Prophet Brown.
SPECIAL TEAMS
KICKING, PUNTING & RETURN GAME- Overall: No major specialist storylines flagged for 2026. USC's tight end room adds former five-star freshman Mark Bowman, who's expected to have an immediate impact — a name worth tracking even outside the WR corps as Maiava's new-look receiving weapons.
Betting profile — vs. the number
2025 ATS
5-8
38.5% cover rate — 64th of 82
2025 Straight up
9-4
Point differential +166
Scoring environment
58.8
Combined points per game — 11th highest of 82
Home / road ATS
4-3 · 1-4
Totals 7-6 O/U (4-3 home, 2-3 road)
Points scored / allowed
35.8 per game scored (9th) · 23 allowed (39th)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory +12.8 (15th) · Strength of schedule +2.6
- Home / road: Home 4-3 ATS, road 1-4 ATS (neutral-site games excluded).
- Home / road: Totals 7-6 O/U — 4-3 at home, 2-3 on the road.
- Trend: 2025 ATS 5-8 (38.5% cover rate) across 13 games.
- Trend: Averaged 35.8 points and allowed 23, a 58.8 combined per-game scoring environment.
Power ratings — strength against the field
SRS power rating
+11.7
14th of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
+11.2
8th of 82
Defensive SRS
+5.5
26th of 82
Points (margin of victory)
+12.8 · 15th of 82
Against the spread
5-8 (38.5%) · 64th of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
58.8 · 11th of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Notes
Saved Just J research for USC.
Scheme
Gary Patterson hire is a genuine "boom or bust" bet
The TCU legend (2010 undefeated season, one of the sport's all-time defensive minds) returns to coordinating after time away from the game — huge pedigree, but real uncertainty about scheme fit with modern spread offenses.
Running Game
Losing two elite receivers (Lemon, Lane) to the NFL is a real offensive gap
USC was 8-0 when rushing for 130+ yards in 2025 and just 1-4 when it didn't — the run game (Jordan, Miller) may need to carry more of the offensive burden in 2026.
Offensive Line
Offensive line outlook
Full line continuity behind a veteran QB gives USC a genuine foundation to lean on the run game while the receiving corps rebuilds around new faces.
Notes are maintained in the Admin area — no code changes required.