The USC Trojans have yet to make the College Football Playoff since the new postseason format was introduced to the sport during the 2014 season, and it may take two rounds of expansion for one of the most storied programs in college football to make the field.
The original College Football Playoff format consisted of four teams before expanding to 12 teams before the 2024 season. The most recent discussions on playoff expansion seem to be centered on a 24-team field, a change that could take place after the 2026 season.
On3’s Andy Staples used rankings from the 2025 season in order to paint a picture of the hypothetical 24-team playoff, and USC would have made the cut last season. According to Staples’ hypothetical, the Trojans would have been the No. 16 seed and hosted No. 17 Virginia in the 24-team CFP.
A CFP game inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum doesn’t sound terrible.
If the Trojans want to make serious noise in the postseason, they’ll likely have to do so at a higher seed. The winner of USC and Virginia would advance to play the No. 1 seed, which would be Ohio State per Staples. The Buckeyes were one of the strongest teams in the nation last season before being eliminated from the CFP by the Miami Hurricanes.
Ohio State will actually be playing USC at the Coliseum during the 2026 regular season in what should be a rather important litmus test for the Trojans.
While CFP expansion might be a welcome sight for USC fans hoping to see the Trojans compete in the postseason, can Riley and company get in before the field is expanded beyond 12 teams?
USC enters the 2026 season with high expectations, fueled in part by the Trojans’ ability to retain key talent in the offseason, re-signing all five starting offensive linemen as well as quarterback Jayden Maiava.
Defense has not been the Trojans’ strong suit since USC hired coach Lincoln Riley, but new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson has the chance to improve upon the work done by current Penn State defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, previously with USC.
Since 2022, Riley’s first season in Southern California, the Trojans’ scoring defense has ranked No. 93, No. 121, No. 56, and No. 51 in the nation. Replacing former USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch with D’Anton Lynn paid off immediately, but the Trojans still struggled to field an elite defense necessary for making the CFP.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, USC currently has the 15th-best odds of making the 12-team field in 2026 at +270. With Indiana, Oregon, Ohio State, and Michigan all sitting ahead of the Trojans, Riley and company are seemingly viewed as the fifth-best team in the conference.
The Big Ten sent four teams to the CFP in 2024 when Ohio State won the national title, and most recently, the Big Ten was represented by Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon in the 2025 CFP.
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