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USC Football
2026 college football program hub
The short version
USC football in 2026
USC is 5-1 through 6 completed games: 5 wins, 1 loss.
Latest confirmed result: USC beat Washington Huskies, 25-21, on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
USC plays next against Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday, October 24, 2026, on the road. The kickoff time is TBD. TV coverage is TBD.
Program center
USC football pages
2026 season
Big Ten football
5-1 current recordHead coach
Lincoln Riley
Leading the USC Trojans through the 2026 season.
Program profile
Los Angeles, California
USC
In pictures
USC on game day
Program background · Reviewed 2026-09-01
A season that matters for Lincoln Riley
USC began 2026 ranked 14th in the AP preseason poll, tied with BYU, and under real pressure. Lincoln Riley is in a fifth season, and the expectation is now a Big Ten title challenge and a playoff place rather than incremental progress. This is widely framed as the most consequential year of his tenure.
The recruiting is not the problem. USC assembled the nation's top-ranked 2026 class, including five-star tight end Mark Bowman and offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe, and flipped quarterback Jonas Williams from Oregon. Converting that talent into results is the task.
Program background · Reviewed 2026-09-01
A new defense
Gary Patterson takes over as defensive coordinator, replacing D'Anton Lynn, who left for Penn State. Patterson arrives with a long record of building defenses that outperform their talent, most notably during a lengthy tenure as a head coach at TCU.
Luke Huard stays for a second season running the offense, giving that side of the ball the continuity the defense lacks.
Program background · Reviewed 2026-09-01
The 2026 schedule
USC has already opened the season, beating San Jose State 42-26 in Week 0 at the Coliseum, and hosts Fresno State next.
The season is defined by three fixtures: Oregon at home in September, a trip to Penn State in October, and Ohio State visiting the Coliseum on October 31. Dan Lanning's Oregon has won both meetings with Riley's USC so far.
Explore
More on USC
Players
Roster
Published player records by position group, with available class years, measurements, and hometowns.
Staff
Coaches
Lincoln Riley and the published staff directory.
Numbers
Season stats
Confirmed results, points scored and allowed, and per-game scoring averages.
Archive
Program history
Championships, milestones, and the program’s history.
League
Big Ten
The rest of the conference and how the title race is shaping up.
Nearby
Teams in California
Other programs in the same state, if you follow more than one.
FAQ
USC frequently asked questions
What is the USC 2026 football record?
USC is 5-1 through 6 completed games: 5 wins, 1 loss.
When does USC play next?
USC plays next against Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday, October 24, 2026, on the road. The kickoff time is TBD. TV coverage is TBD.
Who coaches USC?
Lincoln Riley is the head coach.
What conference does USC play in?
USC competes in the Big Ten.
What was USC's record last season?
9-4, a season that included a run to the Big Ten Championship Game before a loss there. It capped a rebuild year for the roster and set up an offseason focused on adding experienced transfers at several positions of need.
Why did USC's roster change so much for 2026?
31 of the 128 players on the roster arrived as transfers, a significant reshaping aimed at fixing the gaps exposed in 2025. The additions are concentrated on both lines and at cornerback and safety, the positions where USC was thinnest a year ago.
What is USC's biggest question in 2026?
Whether the defense, overhauled under new coordinator Gary Patterson, can match the standard USC has generally set on offense under Lincoln Riley. Patterson is a proven defensive builder, but this is his first season with this roster.
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