- Head Coach: Lincoln Riley (fourth season)
- 2024 Record: 7-6 (won Las Vegas Bowl)
- Strength of Schedule: 23rd
- PFF Projected Win Total: 7.0
- FanDuel Win Total: 7.5
2024 Recap
Lincoln Riley’s USC teams have regressed each year of his head-coaching tenure. The Trojans opened strong in Riley's first season, going 11-3 in 2022 and producing a Heisman Trophy winner in Caleb Williams. But despite Williams' return for the following campaign, USC slipped to 8-5 in 2023 and fell further to 7-6 in 2024, their first season in the Big Ten.
Riley’s typically elite offense also showed signs of decline in 2024, finishing just 31st in EPA per play — the first time one of his offenses ranked outside the top 15 since he became Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator in 2015. A bounce-back could be in store for 2025 with the return of talented quarterback Jayden Maiava and a strong group of skill players. Still, the Trojans must improve in the trenches on both sides of the ball to take a meaningful step forward.
Biggest Strength: A passing game with a lot of potential
While it wasn’t quite its usual elite outfit in 2024, Lincoln Riley’s offense still showed flashes of its trademark explosiveness. That could return in full force in 2025 with quarterback Jayden Maiava back under center and one of the nation’s top receiving duos in Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane.
Biggest Weakness: Trenches
That passing game could struggle if USC’s offensive line doesn’t make major strides. The Trojans ranked 120th in pass-blocking grade and 83rd in run-blocking grade last season, and they return just two starters up front. The other three projected starters — incoming transfers DJ Wingfield and J’Onre Reed among them — each posted sub-70 PFF grades in 2024. The defensive front isn’t in much better shape, with USC finishing 90th in run-defense grade and 89th in pass-rush grade while returning only two of the seven front-seven defenders who played at least 300 snaps.
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