College football analyst names Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans as team that must make CFP in 2026

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The college football season is set to begin in just under two weeks with the official Week 0 kickoff. A new quest for the College Football Playoff will commence, with multiple head coaches facing major pressure to deliver.

That pressure is not only about a winning record. In some cases, reaching the playoff is a must. The field has expanded to 12 teams and could grow again after this season. One team certainly under pressure to deliver is the USC Trojans, led by head coach Lincoln Riley.

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Riley was hired away from Oklahoma, where he established himself as one of college football’s premier offensive minds. However, he has yet to deliver the level of success USC expected since the Trojans won 11 games in 2022, his first season at the helm. Because of this, he landed on Josh Pate’s list of head coaches facing major pressure to deliver in 2026.

“It is playoff or bust,” said Pate, a college football analyst at ESPN. “No one disputes it, by the way. … I’m not saying the words ‘playoffs or bust’ have come out of Lincoln Riley’s mouth. But he has spoken in the way you would speak if you understood it was playoffs or bust. They’re five years in. This is totally fair as a level of expectation if you’re a USC fan.”

Riley’s seat getting warm?

USC is one of college football’s most decorated programs, with a history built around national championships, Heisman Trophy winners and NFL talent. The Trojans last claimed an AP national championship in 2004, meaning it has now been more than two decades since USC reached the sport’s summit.

Riley arrived with the expectation that he could restore USC to that level. His tenure has produced individual success, including quarterback Caleb Williams winning the Heisman Trophy, but the team has not made the CFP.

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USC went 7-6 in 2024 before improving to 9-4 in 2025, but that progress has not yet translated into playoff contention.

That makes 2026 a pivotal season for Riley. USC has invested heavily in its roster and enters the season with legitimate playoff aspirations. If the Trojans remain outside the playoff picture, questions about whether Riley can bring the program back to championship contention will only grow louder.

His seat may not be scorching yet, but another season without a breakthrough could make the pressure difficult to ignore.

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