Matt Leinart's Comments Add Fuel to USC Trojans Fire

The No. 18 USC Trojans are left with some soul searching after losing at home to the then-ranked No. 20 Oregon Ducks, and legendary USC quarterback Matt Leinart has chimed in with his "two cents" on the Trojans' recent shortcomings.

Leinart and fans alike are still awaiting USC's first appearance in the College Football Playoff, and losing to the Ducks was not the statement Trojans coach Lincoln Riley and the program were looking to make when making a case for the postseason in 2026.

usc trojans matt leinart lincoln riley oregon ducks loss college football playoff struggles ucla bruins bob chesney — Oregon running back Dierre Hill Jr., left, celebrates a long run as the Oregon Ducks face the USC Trojans on Sept. 26, 2026, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

As a result, some are questioning whether Riley's seat is growing hot while others are left looking for answers that will help the Trojans handle teams like No. 5 Ohio State and No. 6 Indiana still on the schedule. For Leinart, his current assessment of USC is not an optimistic one.

Matt Leinart Offers Opinion on USC Trojans

"Alright, a lot of chatter around USC football and the state of the program and Lincoln Riley and the narrative and all of those things after that loss to Oregon," said Leinart. "First, I just want to say, like, I love this program, I love this team, I love the staff. There's a lot of people that I'm close with still there. I want them to be successful, more than anybody. But I have to be objective, and it's my job to be opinionated. It's my job to be critical, and it's my job to praise teams when they do well."

"And I think when you look at this program, the best way I could describe it is just, it feels like it's stuck in mud. It feels like you can't get out of the mud. Doesn't mean it's not a talented team, it doesn't mean it's not a good team, it doesn't mean you can't win a lot of games. But I think the expectation is reasonable if you look at USC and say, 'This should be a playoff team.' It just should. The talent, the resources, everything, like it should be that. I think that's fair to say," the former USC quarterback continued.

Riley and company brought in the No. 1 recruiting class in 2026 while re-signing key pieces along the offensive and defensive lines as well as quarterback Jayden Maiava. While relying on a number of true freshmen is never ideal, the Trojans should have the talent to compete for a postseason bid.

Matt Leinart Looks to UCLA, Indiana

Towards the beginning of his fifth season in Southern California, Riley has a record of 39-19 as the Trojans coach. When comparing USC to a team like Indiana and coach Curt Cignetti, who turned the Hoosiers into national champions in two seasons, the Trojans' struggles look worse. Meanwhile, the recent success of newly hired UCLA coach Bob Chesney and the No. 23 Bruins do not help USC's perception as a sleeping giant still struggling to wake up.

"And when you look other programs, you look at UCLA for instance. Bob Chesney's first year, that team is really good, and he has instantly turned it around. And there's a belief there that that team is going to be really good. That's just the belief."

"And you look at Indiana when Curt Cignetti came in. No one gave them a shot, wins a national championship. They're a really good program. Culture, all those things, they're not going anywhere. So it can happen. Programs can turn around, and I just think when you look at USC, it's like, I think a lot of people and alumni have lost that hope, like where is this program gonna be?"

Demands for USC Trojans

Leinart detailed the next steps for Riley and the Trojans to turn things around, but the legendary USC quarterback seemingly made some demands at the same time.

"You gotta win against the ranked opponents. You gotta beat teams like Oregon, you gotta beat Ohio State, you just have to if you want to be relevant, if you want to be credible. And USC has not just been able to do that over the course of the last four, five years. And some of the same problems continue to arise week in and week out."

USC did not take advantage of its opportunity against Oregon, but the Trojans will still have plenty of chances to prove the country wrong and climb back into the top-15 and potentially even the College Football Playoff field.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, and X for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google