Dark horse shot at College Football Playoffs, though not current USC expectation

The most optimistic USC fans see this Trojan team having a strong enough season to make the College Football Playoffs. While the majority of the fan base have more measured expectations, coach Lincoln Riley is starting to see some buzz about this roster being potentially good enough for dark horse consideration.

Certainly, if looking at the upside across the board and when taking into consideration some of the areas that have improved since last year, there is room to express a certain degree of confidence in USC's ability to sneak into the CFP.

Going with the most optimistic approach, if the Trojans even show marginal improvement in some of last season's areas of weakness, then there is a lot of potential to go on a tear and finish with a 10+ regular season winning season.

Although last season's record was below the standard, the games themselves saw USC in a position to flip some of those into wins, only to see the opportunity escape their grasp late. Late-game execution would be the obvious point to look at that needs to be addressed.

Best way USC can help itself out

On the other hand, USC setting itself up to not even be in those positions could end up being better serving and allow for a more sustained chance at achieving the higher win total.

Avoiding scenarios in which everyone in the stadium knows that Jayden Maiava will be in a passing situation, for example, would be of great help. Keeping the offense on the field longer will also allow the defense to be fresher as the game wears on, into the fourth quarter.

If everything clicks, there is an outside shot of USC being one of the playoff teams. While that may not be the universal expectation for this Trojan team in 2025, it soon will be the only standard that this program will be able to go by.