You may be thinking to yourself, "hey wait, wasn't USC/UCLA Week last week?" And you'd be right! But due to a series of unforced errors and scheduling mishaps stemming from AlmaOtter's incompetence, we're a full week behind. Which means we'll bump the schedule back a week and finish up with the California crew today.
Schedule
Transient Buckeye Note: This appears to be USC's 2025 schedule, we'll need the graphic for 2026.
HoustonBoiler Note: Wait, USC still plays football? Who knew?
AlmaOtter: Sigh. You know what? We're keeping the old one here to demonstrate my idiocy. Let's look at the real schedule!
[Transient Buckeye Note #2: I'm being a real That Guy in this section (sorry, AO!). But USC cancelled their series with Notre Dame, adding a Week 0 matchup with San Jose State. Which at least sounds similarly Catholic.)]
HoustonBoiler: Let's try this again!
AlmaOtter: GODDAMMIT. Thank you, TB and HB, for addressing and fixing my incompetence.
Predictions
BoilerUp89: I suspect Troy will lose the war but their enemies will spend the next 20 years wandering the wilderness trying to get home.
Kind of...: A 4-0 start should be automatic. Then it gets real: vs. Oregon, vs. Washington, @ Penn State, @ Wisconsin, vs. Ohio State, @ Indiana. I think USC is better than most expect, especially if Patterson hasn't lost his fastball as a DC. But playing the top three teams in the conference is TOUGH. No chance they get left out for the CFP if they can go 10-2. But I don't think there's much chance they go 10-2. I'll say 8-4/5-4. If they move on from Riley (they shouldn't), whoever gets the job next will have the chance to make an immediate impact. They're not far off.
Transient Buckeye: It feels like this is the year that USC is finally going to get someone who, on paper, they probably shouldn't. As an Ohio State fan, I'm eyeing the trip to the Coliseum with a bit of trepidation. USC should, once again, have a loaded offense, and if they can get their defense figured out then they could be legitimately dangerous. (they haven't yet, but you know how the saying goes: If at first you don't succeed, skydiving probably isn't for you....no, wait, that's not it...). Feels like they'll get one of the Big Three this year. However, it also feels like they'll probably slip up against someone they should beat--PSU and Washington look like possibilities. So let's say they wind up 9-3 (6-3), and fall just outside the ranks of serious playoff contenders.
HoustonBoiler: Hmmm ... I see USC has four conference games in the eastern time zone (Rutgers, Penn State, and Indiana) and one in the central (wisconsin). If these games were at home, USC would only lose to Indiana. However, they're on the road and I expect USC to drop at least two (one being Indiana), if not three of those cross-country road games. I think Oregon and Ohio State will beat USC in LA. I think that leaves me at 8-4 or 7-5. Will that be enough to Lincoln Riley employed beyond the end of the season? I think 8 wins will do the trick while 7 wins will cause USC to fight- ... err ... move-on.
AlmaOtter: Man, that middle stretch is BRUTAL. Ducks, Huskies, Loins of Nittany, Buckeyes, and Hoosiers (feels weird) nearly back to back? Oof. Yeah, I realize they have two byes and Wisconsin in that run, but still. Challenging! And not helped by going at Penn State and at defending champions of the world Indiana (yeah, still feels unnatural). They'll open 4-0, they'll close 2-0, but that middle stretch is probably 2-4? 8-4 is a good season, but it's not what USC expected when they snatched Lincoln from Norman.
