The 2026 college football season could be a special one for the USC Trojans and a year that their fans have been waiting for, as the team is primed to make a run at the College Football Playoff for the first time in program history. Entering what will be the fifth season under coach Lincoln Riley, the Trojans return star quarterback Jayden Maiava, a high-powered offense, and welcome in the No. 1-ranked 2026 recruiting class. With these returns and additions, the Trojans are considered a top team in several preseason rankings. Phil Steele recently released his college football preseason poll, ranking every FBS team from No. 1 to No. 138, and the Trojans are No. 10 entering the 2026 season. Oct 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters ConnectThree Big Ten teams rank ahead of the Trojans including the Oregon Ducks (No. 2), Ohio State Buckeyes (No. 4), and Indiana Hoosiers (No. 6). The Trojans will play all three of those teams during the regular season including playing the Buckeyes at the Ducks at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and traveling to Bloomington for a mid-Novemeber matchup against the the defending national champions.Coming off a 9-3 regular season in 2025, the Trojans will likely need to finish 10-2 to make a strong case for making the CFP. That would mean pulling off an upset against either of these three teams.Keys to USC Trojans Making College Football Playoff TCU coach Gary Patterson during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021. Oklahoma won 52-31.