USC Fans Will Love Trojans 2026 College Football Playoff Prediction

The USC Trojans have high expectations to make the College Football Playoff in coach Lincoln Riley's fifth season. An early prediction for the 2026 CFP bracket could mean the Trojans are in for a memorable season.

Jul 24, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USC head coach Lincoln Riley speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

The 2026 season is a pivotal year for coach Lincoln Riley and the USC Trojans. After finishing 2025, posting a 9-4 record, which featured three Big Ten road losses and an Alamo Bowl defeat to the TCU Horned Frogs, USC enters the 2026 season with high expectations to take a major step forward. 

The return of starting quarterback Jayden Maiava, several notable starters, and the arrival of the No. 1 2026 recruiting class have many USC fans believing that next season is reach the College Football Playoff or bust. Anything short of reaching the CFP would be considered a major disappointment for the Trojans. 

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) carries the ball against the UCLA Bruins in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With so much on the line for Riley and USC entering his fifth year, Trojan fans will love ESPN’s projected CFP bracket for the 2026 season.

USC Trojans 2026 College Football Playoff Prediction

Nov 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) and head coach Lincoln Riley react after the game against the UCLA Bruins at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

According to ESPN’s projected 2026 CFP bracket, USC is projected to be a No. 5 seed in the playoff and will play a first-round matchup at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.   

The defending national champions, the Indiana Hoosiers, are projected to win the Big Ten championship and be the No. 1 seed in the CFP next season by ESPN, making the Trojans the second-highest-ranked Big Ten team and the best at-large team. 

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Big Ten teams projected to be ranked below the Trojans in the CFP include the Ohio State Buckeyes as the No. 7 seed and the Oregon Ducks at No. 9. USC will play both Ohio State and Oregon at the Coliseum next season, two games that will be pivotal in the Trojans hopes of reaching the CFP for the first time. 

How Far Trojans Are Projected To Advance In CFP

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) celebrates after getting a first down in the first half of a NCAA football game against Southern California at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

In the playoff, the Trojans are projected to win their first-round matchup against Hawaii before falling to their arch-rival, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, in the CFP Quarterfinal.

College football fans, including those who cheer for USC and Notre Dame, were extremely disappointed when the Trojans and Fighting Irish announced they wouldn’t be renewing their rivalry for the 2026 season. Getting a playoff matchup between the two heated rivals would be a treat for college football fans. 

Notre Dame is projected to win their first national championship since 1988 over the Georgia Bulldogs next season. The national championship game for next season is scheduled to be played on Jan. 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Why USC Fans Would Be Satisfied With CFP Projection

Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley celebrates after kicker Ryon Sayeri (48) hit a 54-yard field goal in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

If this projection holds up for USC next season, a majority of Trojans fans would be satisfied in making it to the CFP Quarterfinal. While losing a fourth consecutive game to Notre Dame would be tough for USC fans, making the CFP would be a step in the right direction, given how the previous four seasons under Riley have gone. 

The closest USC has come to making the CFP under Riley was his first season, when the Caleb Williams-led Trojans finished the season with an 11-3 record, which included two devastating losses to the Utah Utes that kept them out of the playoff.