As school kicks off and campus begins to repopulate with students late for classes, strolling with friends or on the phone with their parents, all of this can only mean one thing: USC football is back. 

After last year’s disappointing (9-4, 7-2 Big Ten) finish for the Trojans, Saturday night’s home opener should ignite a 2026 season filled with high hopes and expectations. 

With the news of USC’s renewed rivalry with Notre Dame, the anticipation for football and the Trojans to take the field in 2026 has been building all over campus and could not be higher.

The last two times the Trojans faced the Spartans, USC emerged victorious, outscoring the Spartans by 51 points across two dominant bouts. USC’s most recent matchup in 2023 ended with a triumphant Trojan victory of  56-28. 

While Head Coach Lincoln Riley enters his fifth year as the Trojan head coach, he has yet to lead USC to a College Football Playoff run despite unique talent on both sides of the field. With a competitive schedule and strong returners, this could be the year where the Trojans break through and potentially make moves toward a Big Ten conference championship.

However, Riley is more focused on seeing how his team lines up on the sideline and faces a squad other than their own this weekend. 

“I think [in] first games you’re always excited to see how we block, how we tackle, how we run out of tackles, how we destroy blocks, play live, being able to disrupt the ball and take care of the ball,” Riley said in a post-practice press conference Tuesday. 

The Maiava method 

The Trojans’ starting quarterback, redshirt senior Jayden Maiava, leads the team once again after opting out of the 2026 NFL Draft to instead finish his final year at USC.

“When you have a head coach that is super confident, the team feeds back on that. We’re super excited to go out there,” Maiava said Tuesday. 

Last year, Maiava was paired with the elite junior wide receiver duo of Ja’Kobi Lane and Makai Lemon. Both Lane and Lemon were high-impact players for the Trojans — totaling the majority of Maiava’s yards and touchdowns — but have left USC to go to the NFL, leaving Maiava with a young receiving core. Maiava must instead rely on underclassmen or transfers to carry the load in their absences as the season progresses. 

Currently listed on Week 0’s depth chart are wide receivers that are only underclassmen, including standout sophomore wide receiver Tanook Hines, who was also named a game-time decision by Los Angeles Times reporter Ryan Kartje. Of the group, each sophomore in the lineup has seen at least some time on the field last year. 

“Coming from last year, I played a lot of special teams,” sophomore wide receiver Corey Simms said on Tuesday. “As a person, I just improved on being activated, and I just feel more comfortable. Having that year playing special teams gave me the experience.” 

This young wide receiver group could be the spark that ignites the Trojans throughout their season — or what slows them down. 

Miller returns for sophomore season 

Last year was a breakout season for redshirt sophomore running back King Miller. He earned countless accolades, including a 2025 Big Ten Honorable Mention, and started in seven of the 13 games that he played in after being a walk-on just one year prior and redshirting his freshman year. 

In last year’s home-opening match against Missouri State, Miller played the second half of the game, recording a career-high rush of 75 yards. 

“I think I already know what this team is about; I mean, I’ve been with these guys this whole time during spring,” Miller said. “I’m just ready for the world to see it.” 

Miller, a player with perseverance and experience against top-ranked teams, can become a steady, reliable presence for the Trojans in the running back position alongside redshirt senior Waymond Jordan. 

“It’s a new year; the first game is always tough. You don’t have film to watch based on that year, and what you’re lining up against exactly, but we’re just excited to get in there and start playing,” said redshirt junior Tobias Raymond, the new starting center for the Trojans.

San Jose State finished with a 3-9 record overall and a 2-6 record in Mountain West conference play last year, and ended the season with a four-game losing streak. 

The Trojans will kick off the 2026 season against San Jose State on Saturday at noon at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.