Tennessee-based writer picks USC to make College Football Playoff

The USC Trojans need to make the College Football Playoff this season. That is the goal and expectation. Lincoln Riley has whiffed in four previous attempts to make the playoff. USC is 0 for 12 in making the playoff since the event began in 2014. The pressure is on, and it will only grow after Knoxville News-Sentinel writer John Adams picked USC to make the playoff. He and USA TODAY Sports college football writer Blake Toppmeyer offered their playoff picks before the 2026 season begins. Adams is bullish on USC, but Toppmeyer is not.

“Adams selects: Southern Cal

Toppmeyer’s reaction: Noooooooo. You blew it! There goes our perfect bracket. This pick shocks me. Actually, no it doesn’t. You got sucked in by USC, once again. Sure, a lot of talent returns, and maybe Gary Patterson will improve the defense, but look at the schedule. It includes: Oregon, Washington, Penn State, Ohio State, Indiana. Too much schedule.”

Of course, USC fans do not call the school “Southern Cal,” but that point aside, Trojans of all ages hope John Adams’ prediction comes true. USC football has done almost nothing since Pete Carroll left, the only exceptions being the 2016 and 2017 seasons under Sam Darnold, with a Rose Bowl win and a Pac-12 championship (the school’s only conference title since Carroll left). Now it’s time for Lincoln Riley to finally live up to the hype and expectations. The more Riley fails, the harder it is to believe he is the man to lead USC back to the mountaintop in college football.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Tennessee-based writer picks USC to make College Football Playoff