By Tim Peterson
The Big Ten had the opening day of Football Media Days Tuesday in Chicago. USC head coach Lincoln Riley spoke about the Trojans outlook for the 2026 season.
There are high expectations for the Trojans this year. USC has one of the best recruiting classes in the nation and have added several new coaching additions including defensive coordinator Gary Patterson. USC’s ultimate goal is to qualify for its first berth in the College Football playoff.
Although Riley likes his recruiting class he is also counting on key returning starters. Jayden Maiava returns at quarterback for his second straight season as the full-time starting quarterback. He played the final four games of the 2024 season before playing the full season last year. Maiava completed 265 of 403 passes for 3,711 yards and 24 touchdowns in ’25 and had the nation’s top QB Rating (91.2) He does show a need for improvement in the turnover department as he threw 10 picks last year.
The Trojans also have both of their running backs returning in King Miller and Waymond Jordan. Miller led the way with 972 yards and eight touchdowns last year averaging over six yards per carry. Jordan had 576 yards and five scores before going down with an injury after five games.
Riley also mentioned that he and the team want to play the Notre Dame game in the future but some things still need to be worked out.
USC 2026 Football Schedule
8/29 San Jose St.
9/4 Fresno St.
9/12 Louisiana
9/19 at Rutgers
9/26 Oregon
10/3 Washington
10/10 at Penn St.
10/24 at Wisconsin
10/31 Ohio St.
11/14 at Indiana
11/21 Maryland
11/28 at UCLA
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You say Chesney is not a good fit for Troy, but when you see the money USC is able to offer him, Chesney will not agree with you. The Bruin job is officially a proving ground for USC coaching hopefuls. I salute the Westwood operation for their assistance.
Typical trOJan fans trying to pluck Bruin staff. Chesney is right where he belongs. He is not a good fit for the university of $poiled children.
Without playing a single down yet, it’s becoming clear that Bob Chesney would have been the better coaching acquisition for Troy. Given Riley’s huge salary and time spent trying, the man is a disappointment. Watch Chesney these next two years and see how it’s supposed to be done.
I would love to see San Jose or Fresno knock them off. 8-4 at best here.
Yeah he wants to play Notre Dame , but he’d rather play. San Jose St , Fresno and Louisiana. Much rather .