USC season preview: Lincoln Riley gets extra prep time for big games

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USC football faces Indiana and Ohio State this season, unlike 2025. This is why the Trojans' 2026 schedule is tougher than last year. There is one source of hope for Lincoln Riley despite the brutal slate: USC and Riley will have plenty of time to prepare for the Buckeyes and Hoosiers.

USC gets October 17 off. The Trojans get a midseason week of rest. Then they play Wisconsin on October 24 and Ohio State on Halloween (October 31). During that October 17 off week, Riley and staff will be focused on Wisconsin but can certainly look at some Ohio State film and keep tabs on the Buckeyes.

After playing OSU on October 31, USC gets November 7 off and will play Curt Cignetti's Indiana Hoosiers on November 14. USC gets two full weeks to prepare for the reigning national champions.

A lot of times, USC has been stuck having to face an elite opponent on short or regular rest while that opponent gets extra time to prepare. This year that's not the case. The Trojans get to really gear up for the two games which are expected to be the toughest on the whole schedule. If USC has one loss going into the Ohio State-Indiana double stack of games, the Trojans will absolutely need to win at least one of the two games to make the playoff. At the very least, Lincoln Riley and Gary Patterson will have time to formulate a game plan for the two teams which met in the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game and are expected to make the playoff in 2026.

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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC season preview: Lincoln Riley gets extra prep time for big games

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