If USC wants the Playoff, it has to kill the habit that won't die
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
LOS ANGELES – There may have been no perfect display of what Southern California has exemplified under Lincoln Riley than the 2026 season-opening win over San Jose State.
For the majority of the game, you saw why the Trojans are always in the national conversation and have a shot at being a College Football Playoff contender.
But at the end, it reminded you of why it has yet to do so.
No. 14 USC had a game it loved and hated in Week 0, defeating San Jose State 42-26 inside a scorching Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. If the score seems closer than you’d figure the result would be, that’s because it was.
By the end of the third quarter, USC was up 35-3 and sending in newcomers to see what they could do in a game. They didn’t provide much. In the final 15 minutes, San Jose State scored 22 points with 117 yards of offense to not only cover the spread, but leave a sour taste in the mouth of Riley in a “tale of two games.”
“A lot of really good football out there. All three sides playing complementary, really dominated the game there through three quarters,” Riley said. “Fourth quarter, not up to our standards.”
Even though it was against Trojans' reserves, it’s another example of USC not finishing the job. Whether it’s a late season loss, a costly turnover or just mismanagement, there’s always something preventing the Trojans from closing the deal to reach the playoff.
The implications in Game No. 1 were small, and the majority of the day was great, but it should serve as a warning: USC needs to cut it out if it wants to avoid another missed appearance in the 12-team field.
What does USC football need to fix?
It starts off with not skipping a beat, regardless of who is on the field.
All offseason, Riley highlighted his team’s depth as to why it has the chance to be a special squad. While plenty of newcomers proved that, it looked like the depth was mostly limited to just the 1A and 1B players, with a dramatic drop off in the backups.
“We played a bunch of different guys,” Riley said. “Bunch of guys got our opportunities, and we had several that did not play the way that we anticipated.”
Riley and players all said the team took their foot off the gas pedal. It started to coast when the Trojans were up by 32 points and the Coliseum started to empty out more than what it already was, with a win in hand and time for fans to get out of the excessive heat.
The high temperatures persisted, the Trojans didn't.
“When you start scoring a bunch of points and start letting up a little bit, that's when things can go south,” said defensive tackle Jide Abasiri. “That's just something we gotta get better with.”
What worsens the mixed feelings is the issues came on the defensive side, something that has long been an issue on Riley’s teams and figuring not to be an issue this time around with new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson. That’s why Riley said Patterson “pissed” after the game, adding it deserved to hold San Jose State to single-digits.
Despite ending, USC shows why it can be elite with Jayden Maiava and explosive freshmen
There’s plenty to work on for USC, but you can’t dismiss how good it looked for 45 minutes.
USC went right down the field and scored on its opening drive for the wire-to-wire win, and the offense was attacking just about any way it wanted.
It all started with Jayden Maiava, the veteran quarterback showing why he can be the key to USC’s success with an exceptional outing. He went 25-for-29 for 286 yards and two touchdowns, including a stretch of 14 straight completions. He also added a score on the ground. The 86% passing accuracy was a career-best for the senior, displaying the awareness and maturity he has developed in season three at USC.
What stole the show though was someone with little experience in receiver Trent Mosley. The freshman shined with a game-high seven catches for 118 yards and a touchdown, one of four freshmen who scored.
“It's definitely like a really impressive stat that we've got so many freshmen that are starting and making an impact,” said center Tobias Raymond. “There's some guys that did really good stuff out there.”
The game also marked the first time running backs Waymond Jordan and King Miller played together, and they did damage and showed it can be one of the best duos in the country, combining for 111 rushing yards, with Miller earning the lion’s share of carries. USC as a whole ran for 164 yards.
Defense still shines
Yes, the defense did fall apart at the end, but for three quarters, it looked relentless.
The Trojans really kept the Spartans in check from generating much for most of the day. San Jose State’s first five full drives were four punts — including three 3-and-outs — and a turnover on downs.
Riley was particularly proud of the turnover on downs, which came inside the red zone. Before the fourth quarter, San Jose State’s two red-zone appearances resulted in three points, which had many believing it would be USC's best defensive performance since its last shutout in 2024.
So even though USC leaves the stadium with a bitter taste in its mouth, it can’t entirely forget how sweet it was for most of the day, and hoping it can remain that way the next time it walks off a field.
“I take it for what it is. You don't hide behind the fact that the fourth quarter wasn't good enough, and also not gonna pretend like we didn't dominate the game for three quarters,” Riley said. “It certainly wasn't flawless, but it was pretty damn good.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: If USC wants the Playoff, it has to kill the habit that won't die
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos