Why USC's Chance to Make a Statement Against Washington Is Magnified

It’s been a loud week for No. 18 USC. The fallout from losing to Oregon by two touchdowns in a must-win game for the program and suspending linebacker Desman Stephens has been astronomical.

All of that and the future of coach Lincoln Riley in Los Angeles has dominated college football headlines and national sports talk shows. The program is under heavy fire, and the noise won't quiet down anytime soon. USC is playing in prime time again on Saturday, giving the Trojans a chance to make a statement about the direction of the team.

USC Trojans Washington Huskies LSU Tigers Penn State Lincoln Riley Alabama Miami Demond Williams Big Ten — Sep 4, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches against the Fresno State Bulldogs in the second half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Trojans have two paths, either than can crumble as they did under Riley back in 2023 when they jumped out to a 6-0 start, only to finish the season 7-5, or they can learn from transpired inside the Coliseum in week 4 and turn the page.

Last season, Penn State came into the season with high expectations but dropped three consecutive games starting in late September to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern and never recovered. Former head coach James Franklin was fired by early October.

LSU flat out quit on head coach Brian Kelly in the second half of a blowout loss to Texas A&M last October and Kelly was fired the next day.

How does USC respond? Do they become this years Penn State and LSU or do they start to rewrite the narrative?

It all starts this Saturday, Oct. 3 with a home matchup against Washington.

Renewing Longtime West Coast Rivalry

USC and Washington will square off for the 88th time. The Huskies have won each of the last three matchups. Southern Cal has not defeated Washington since 2016, and they have won this game at the Coliseum since 2011.

Kick off between the two longtime West Coast rivals on Saturday is slated for 4:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on NBC. Same time slot and network as last week.

No. 7 Alabama and No. 16 Mississippi State headline the week 5 slate. That’s a 9 a.m. PT kick off. No. 5 Ohio State and No. 14 Iowa is the marquee Big Ten matchup this weekend. That’s a 12:30 p.m. PT kick off. So is No. 8 Florida and No. 25 Missouri.

No. 4 Miami and Clemson is at the same time as USC and Washington and will certainly draw its own audience. But with the turmoil surrounding the Trojans this week, they have the attention of the college football world. Is Saturday officially the end of Riley?

USC is on a one-game season every week. That’s always the mindset of every football team but for the Trojans, it’s magnetized.

Southern Cal doesn’t just need a win, they need to make a statement. It’s a program that needs to show toughness and discipline. The defense can’t give up over 450 yards of offense and 30-plus points. Washington quarterback Demond Williams presents a unique challenge. He's a tremendous athlete but can also make plays from the pocket.

Yes, it’s outside the norm of what the team has been under Riley the last four and a half years but if there was a game for the Trojans change that, it would be this week.

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