College Football Analyst Says USC Trojans Are College Football Playoff Contenders

The USC Trojans had a tough 2024 season, but are looking to turn things around in 2025. After ending the season with a 7-6 record, the Trojans brought in a top staff and enhanced their recruiting. College football analyst Josh Pate believes the Trojans are heading in the right direction.

Pate spoke on his show, “Josh Pate’s College Football Show,” about what he has seen from USC this spring. Pate discussed the team’s confidence and believes that USC could be a dark horse team.

“They walk around as if they already ordered something and they know it’s arriving in the mail tomorrow,” Pate said about USC's confidence.

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley holds the championship trophy after the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“I think they’re there. I have very little doubt about that,” Pate said about USC feeling like a playoff contender.

USC made a quarterback switch last season to Jayden Maiava, who is entering his second season with the program set to be the starter. Maiava led the Trojans to a Las Vegas Bowl win and is looking to lead the team to more success this season.

The Trojans will also have wide receivers Ja’Kobi Lane and Makai Lemon returning in 2025, set to be the top receivers for the team. In the Las Vegas Bowl, Lane finished the game with 127 yards and three touchdowns, and Lemon finished the game with 99 yards.

“Either it’s all false bravado, or they’re on to something and you’re just about to find out,” Pate said.

Pate recently sat down with USC coach Lincoln Riley about the state of the USC Trojans. Riley highlighted how the team brought in a great staff and has a strong team, building momentum to be a program consistently in playoff contention. The way Riley discusses the Trojans demonstrates Pate’s statements regarding the team’s confidence.

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“I mean, the momentum in this building right now is real. Ask anybody that’s been around this program for the last several months, like they feel it, they see it, and you see a lot of these things really coming together,” Riley told Pate.

“I think I take a lot of my confidence from the people on the staff. Have won national championships, Super Bowls, and we got some, we got one of the most accomplished staffs of anybody. And they all feel it, and they all know exactly what that feels like because they’ve been a part of it,” Riley continued.

USC has also emphasized recruiting, which has led to more confidence in the building. For the class of 2025, USC is ranked No. 15 in the nation and ranked No. 5 in the Big Ten, per On3. For the class of 2026, USC is ranked No. 2 in the nation and No. 1 in the Big Ten.

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts after the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“We’re now kind of in a period we’re starting to transition more into really being what we want to be long term, which is a high school developmental program. Given our location, given our school, our history, the staff we’ve put together, we feel like that’s the best path forward for USC now to take that next step,” Riley continued.

Pate has seen firsthand how confident the USC Trojans are this spring. USC may have lost six games in 2024, but the team was rarely blown out. The Trojans were close in each game, putting up a fight. Using that confidence, the Trojans could be a dark horse contender in 2025.

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