USC will begin the 2026 season tied for No. 14 in the AP Poll, but it's still CFP or bust

The USC Trojans will begin the 2026 football season ranked No. 14 in the AP Top 25. This ranking serves as the defacto ranking used on all game broadcasts until the College Football Playoff rankings begin in late October.

The Trojans are tied with BYU at No. 14 and have quite a few opponents that also feature in the rankings which serves as another reminder of just how deep this schedule is for Lincoln Riley and company in 2026.

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Preseason AP Top 25 Poll

1. Ohio State
2. Oregon
3. Georgia
4. Notre Dame
5. Texas
6. Indiana
7. Miami (FL)
8. Texas A&M
9. Ole Miss
10. Oklahoma
11. LSU
12. Texas Tech
13. Alabama
14. BYU
14. USC
16. Michigan
17. Washington
18. Penn State
19. SMU
20. Tennessee
21. Utah
22. Iowa
23. Houston
24. Louisville
25. Missouri

USC will have plenty of oppportunities to impress with 2026 schedule

In total, the Trojans are slated to play six ranked teams in 2026, though this number can and will likely change as the season progresses. We won't know how many ranked teams USC truly plays until the end of the season. Still, these rankings come out a little under two weeks from Week Zero of the college football calendar which features the Trojans hosting in-state opponent, San Jose Stae. Meaning that USC can get a jump on the rankings as they will play two games before the next updated rankings after week one.

"The way our conference is structured now, we're looking forward to the opportunity to go through some of these different venues across the Big Ten, to play in some of these different games against great competition," Riley said during Big Ten media days. "We certainly have an exciting schedule ahead, and one that our team is very much looking forward to attacking. Cannot wait for the season. Can't wait to get started."

The Trojans are one of the favorites to be a sleeper college football playoff contender this year as the team is the most talented Lincoln Riley has had since arriving in Los Angeles.

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"I do think there's certainly the talent from top to bottom, the competitive depth. I told somebody the other day, I felt like last year we got to the point with our offensive line, our top groups on offense and on our defensive line were able to compete at the top of this conference," Riley added. "In terms of the quality of players, returning starters, the freshmen, some of the transfers that we've added, there's just a ton of competition. We have a lot of guys on both sides of the line of scrimmage that we feel like we can win with and dominate with."

Nicholas Burmood has been covering USC Athletics on Reign of Troy since 2025. Follow Nick on X @FightOnNick

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