USC Trojans Turning the Corner in the Big Ten Under Lincoln Riley

This calendar year has been all about the USC Trojans changing narratives surrounding the program.

It started in recruiting and USC currently has the No. 1 rated class in the 2026 cycle with the early signing day less than a month away. They put an emphasis on recruiting California prospects and building relationships with the premier high schools in the area, while maintaining a national footprint.

USC Trojans Big Ten Jayden Maiava Lincoln Riley College Football Playoff NIL Recruiting Nebraska Cornhuskers Transfer Portal — Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches game action against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

And when the fall rolled around, it became about getting results on the field and building their way to into a College Football Playoff contender.

Dating back to last November, the Trojans have won seven of their last eight Big Ten games. And the one game? A two-point loss to Illinois on the road off a last-second field goal.

Relationship with Jayden Maiava

So, what’s changed over the last eight games? Plenty, starting with the teams ability to finish late in games, an issue that plagued the Trojans in 2024.

Last season, Riley preached about his team’s inability to separate and make the necessary plays late in games. That’s changed and it was evident in the Trojans week 10 win on the road against Nebraska.

USC trailed by eight to start the second half. They mounted two touchdown drives, while limiting the Cornhuskers to just a field goal. The Trojans had a key 4th-and-1 stop on defense with under two minutes remaining in regulation to edge out a 21-17 victory.

But you could also point to the switch at quarterback. Following a loss to Washington over Halloween weekend in 2024, Riley turned to UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava. Since Maiava took over, USC is 5-1 in one-possession games versus 1-5 with Miller Moss under center.

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The Trojans have seen their shift in the Big Ten come under Maiava.

It’s repetitive, but Maiava always talks about having trust in the coaching staff to put him in positions to be successful. The trust is mutual and when the trust is there, the success comes with it.

Maiava and Riley have a strong relationship, and Riley can be seen settling down his quarterback after a mistake and then the redshirt junior signal-caller responds by leading a big drive.

Their relationship is more intimate than a typical quarterback-coach combo because Riley is the play-caller. Nobody knows Maiava better than his coach. His strengths, his weaknesses but their relationship expands beyond the X's and O's in Maiava's second season with the program and has led the Trojans changing the fortunes in the Big Ten.

Staying the Course

USC improved to 7-2 after defeating Northwestern Friday night. With three games left on the schedule the Trojans still have their goals in front of them.

It’s a one-game season the rest of the way if USC wants remain the race for the College Football Playoff.

“We're trying to control what we can control. We're trying to just get better every week,” Riley said. “We know the more we win, the bigger these opportunities get. We've got some big ones coming up that are big because we've made them big.

“I think for the team, just making sure they understand how hard it is to get to this point in any year where you have in front of us what we do and let's go embrace it. Let's go be our very best at it. Don't have any regrets. We're just going to keep battling. We're going to keep working hard. We're going to keep preparing hard and showing up on Saturdays ready.”

The Trojans will have another tough challenge in week 12 when they host Iowa. The following week, they will travel to Oregon and finish at home against UCLA on Nov. 29.

Staying Put at USC

With several high-profile jobs open in college football after a wave of in-season firings, Riley’s name has recently been mentioned as someone that could be on the move, but the Trojans coach quickly put those rumors to rest on Friday.

“You guys know what I sacrificed to be here. I’m where I need to be,” Riley said.

The 42-year-old coach has the Trojans trending in a positive direction with recruiting and on-field results. USC has improved its NIL collectives to stay competitive with the rest of the sport.

Southern Cal is building The Bloom Performance Center, a $225 million world-class football facility that is set to open in spring 2026.

The Riley era hasn’t always been smooth or happened the way Trojan fans were hoping when they pulled him away from Oklahoma in November 2021 but it’s trending in a way that the USC faithful can be excited about now.

Relationship with Jayden Maiava

Staying the Course

Staying Put at USC

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