USC football projected for critical playoff push in 2026 Big Ten predictions
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USC football projected for critical playoff push in 2026 Big Ten predictions originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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In the 18-team Big Ten, the strength of schedule is just as important as a team's overall record. USC is about to test that theory to its absolute limits.
The Trojans are staring down a punishing 2026 schedule, but instead of derailing their season, that sheer degree of difficulty might be their golden ticket to the postseason.
According to the latest 2026 game picks and win-loss predictions from CBS Sports analyst Brad Crawford, USC is projected to finish with a 9-3 overall record. But in the modern College Football Playoff landscape, not all 9-3 resumes are created equal.
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Crawford's model projects the Trojans to handle their non-conference business against San Jose State, Fresno State and Louisiana.
More importantly, the model predicts USC will secure crucial conference victories over Rutgers, Washington, Penn State, Wisconsin, Maryland, and crosstown rival UCLA. A 9-3 record implies three losses, and normally, three losses will bounce a team right out of the national championship picture.
However, Crawford notes that the specific nature of USC’s projected defeats changes the math completely. The model predicts the Trojans will lose to Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana.
"None of these projected setbacks will damage USC's résumé the way a bad loss would, giving the Trojans one of the nation's strongest at-large cases," Crawford wrote.
Losing to the conference's absolute elite is not a death sentence when coach Lincoln Riley's Trojans have a battle-tested resume to back it up.
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At 9-3, Crawford projects the Trojans will finish fourth in the conference—largely aided by a crucial head-to-head victory over Washington.
This positioning leaves USC directly on the playoff bubble.
"By way of a head-to-head win over Washington despite finishing with the same record, it's the Trojans who will finish fourth in the conference and be fighting for the CFP's final at-large selection with Ole Miss from the SEC," Crawford noted.
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