USC's Surprising Average Roster Age Ranking in Big Ten

The USC Trojans roster for the 2026 college football season is loaded with talent. However, it’s one of the youngest teams in the whole country.

USC Trojans Youngest Team in Big Ten

usc trojans lincoln riley roster age ranking big ten conference college football playoff freshmen recruiting class playoff — Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley reacts after the game against the Missouri State Bears at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According to RotoWire, USC has the youngest average roster age in the Big Ten. The average age of the USC roster for the 2026 season is 19.87 years old. That is the youngest in the entire Big Ten conference and tied for the 132nd youngest in the country.

Big Ten FB Average Roster Age in 2026 from oldest to Youngest, according to Rotowire pic.twitter.com/WWLVhUR0Ns
— Jon “JR” Rhoades (@jrs_rankings) July 24, 2026

A big part of the reason for this is due to USC’s large incoming high school recruiting class. The Trojans landed the No. 1 ranked 2026 recruiting class in the country with 35 total commitments. While these players will be true freshmen in 2026, some have the opportunity to play key roles right away.

This starts with five-star recruits: edge rusher Luke Wafle and tight end Mark Bowman.

On the veteran side of things, USC will be lead by quarterback Jayden Maiava. Maiava is entering his fifth season in college and third with USC. As the starter for the Trojans in 2025, Maiava threw for 3,711 yards and 24 touchdowns. He is 22 years old.

Oldest Big Ten Team

On the flip side of things, the oldest team in the Big Ten is the Michigan State Spartans. Michigan State has an average roster age of 20.64 years old. It is the 15th oldest roster in the country.

Michigan State is coming off four consecutive losing seasons. They have failed to win more than five games in a season since 2021. Will having an older roster on paper help for 2026? They are now lead by coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Here is RotoWire's full rankings of Big Ten teams based on their average player age for 2026:

1. Michigan State Spartans
2. UCLA Bruins
3. Nebraska Cornhuskers
4. Northwestern Wildcats
5. Penn State Nittany Lions
6. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
7. Wisconsin Badgers
8. Purdue Boilermakers
9. Maryland Terrapins
10. Minnesota Golden Gophers
11. Michigan Wolverines
12. Oregon Ducks
13. Illinois Fighting Illini
14. Iowa Hawkeyes
15. Indiana Hoosiers
16. Washington Huskies
17. Ohio State Buckeyes
18. USC Trojans

Young Teams Projected to Dominate

The oddsmakers don't think that having a slightly younger roster than the rest of the league will be a problem to win the Big Ten. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the teams with the four best odds to win the Big Ten this season all are on the younger side.

The favorites to win the Big Ten is Ohio State at +180. Ohio State is younger than everyone in the Big Ten not named USC. The next team with the best Big Ten title odds is Indiana at +250. The Hoosiers are the 15th oldest team in the Big Ten.

Oregon has the third best Big Ten title odds at +260. The Ducks are 13th in the Big Ten on this list of oldest rosters. Then there is USC with the fourth best odds to win the league at +1400. Being young, especially when it is by this small of a margin, doesn't appear to be a deterrent for success.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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