How College Football Playoff Expansion Impacts USC Trojans

Heading into the 2026 college football season, the USC Trojans and coach Lincoln Riley are hoping to finally make the College Football Playoff, which could be huge for the program.

However, it seems that in the near future, the College Football Playoff model could look significantly different with changes to conference championship games and the overall seeding of the bracket.

CFP Expansion Affect Lincoln Riley and USC Trojans Big Ten 2026 College Football Season Quarterback Jayden Maiava — Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Details of The College Football Playoff Expansion

According to Yahoo Sports college football writer Ross Dellenger, the American Football Coaches Association's Board of Trustees seems to be in support of expanding the College Football Playoff from 12 teams to 24 teams.

One of the more interesting details with this expansion is the fact that this would eliminate conference championship games, which could help the postseason begin earlier.

As far as the bracket goes, this expansion would provide teams seeded one through eight an automatic bye and teams seeded nine through 24 to play first-round games on college campuses. As far as bids go, there would be automatic bids for the Group of Six leagues.

The rest of the rankings would then be determined by the College Football Playoff committee through the CFP rankings.

As the talks of expansion continue, it seems very likely that these changes could be made to the College Football Playoff model very soon.

College Football Playoff Expansion Impact on USC

With this potential expansion, it seems that this could be the opportunity for the Trojans and coach Riley to make it into the College Football Playoff and compete for a national championship.

After making it to the CFP three times with Oklahoma, Riley has yet to make it with USC, but this new bracket model and appearance in the College Football Playoff now seem very possible.

The biggest factor for Riley and the Trojans is how their season will go and where they could be seeded. If USC has the season that they are capable of having, there is an opportunity for them to have a home playoff game, which could give them the momentum they need to make a deep run.

The Big Ten has three examples of using the home playoff game to its advantage to make deep runs in the postseason.

First, Penn State was able to pull out a victory in the first round of the playoffs in 2024, which led them to the semifinal before falling to Notre Dame. That same year, Ohio State was able to win its first-round game, which led it to win a national title. That was followed by Oregon, which did the same in the first round last year. That propelled them to the semifinals before losing to Indiana, which later won the national championship.

All that to say, winning in the first round of the CFP seems to be something that helps to create momentum moving forward, which is what has led to success on the national stage of college football.

With that in mind, being seeded high enough to get a home playoff game could be crucial for USC so they can build that momentum and give themselves a chance to compete with the top teams in the country.

Based on the constant success that the Big Ten has in the College Football Playoff, Riley appears to be under a lot of pressure to not only make the CFP but also make a deep run in it.

The Pressure on Lincoln Riley

The Big Ten has not just had success in the last two years; Michigan also won the title in 2023. That means the Big Ten has accounted for the last three national championships.

In order to be successful in the Big Ten, winning on the national stage is essential, and so far, with USC, Riley has not done that.

However, the 2026 season seems like it could be the best opportunity for him to finally make it to the College Football Playoff and compete for a national championship. Riley has done a great job developing his roster, but specifically quarterback Jayden Maiava, who is poised for his best college season yet and could be one of the best quarterbacks in the country.

With the expansion of the CFP, Riley and the Trojans will have to win several tough games to win the national championship, but if they get to the College Football Playoff, that means they have been tested in conference play and are ready for the moment.

Regardless of the circumstances and the surrounding next season, the pressure is on Riley and USC to make the CFP and, at a minimum, make a deeper run in it. A failure to do so could bring up some very difficult conversations heading into 2027.

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