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Greg McElroy makes case for USC as national championship contender in 2026

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs02/21/26grant_grubbs_

Lincoln Riley was perhaps the most sought-after head coach in the country when USC hired him in 2022. After leading the Trojans to an 11-3 record his first year at the helm, Riley has relatively underachieved.

In fact, USC hasn’t had a double-digit win season since 2022. Nonetheless, ESPN’s Greg McElroy believes USC is capable of flipping its public narrative with a phenomenal 2026 campaign.

“I know what the skeptics are saying. ‘Guys, they went 9-4 last year. They got bullied in the trenches by Notre Dame. Lincoln Riley hasn’t been able to do it without a generational, once-in-a-lifetime quarterback.’ Well, I’m here to tell you that the 2026 USC Trojans are listening,” McElroy said.

“They’ve spent the last couple of weeks, the last eight months, the last however long it’s been, in building a blueprint, overhauling that blueprint. I don’t think this is the team that people currently think of when they think USC. They think finesse and offense and all stuff. That’s not what this team is currently doing.”

USC is returning numerous key players from its roster last season. Most notably, the Trojans will be led by returning quarterback Jayden Maiava, who started all 13 of USC’s games last season.

Maiava completed 65.8% of his pass attempts for 3,711 yards and 24 touchdowns, compared to 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 156 yards and six scores.

Of course, every quarterback needs a strong offensive line to protect him, and Maiva will have just that next season. USC is returning all five of its starting offensive lineman. The unit only allowed 1.15 sacks per game last season, the 14th least in the country.

On the other side of the ball, USC lost defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who accepted an offer to serve in the same role at Penn State. USC hired Gary Patterson to replace Lynn.

Patterson was TCU‘s defensive coordinator from 2000-21 and has a strong reputation in the college football community. With all these factors combined, McElroy is confident USC will outperform expectations.

“This 2026 Trojan team, I think, has a chance. I really do,” McElroy said. “You look at their odds at 35 to 1 [to win a national championship], pretty good value. … You look at Lincoln Riley. He’s got his team, he’s got his defense. Now, he needs to just go and get it done on a week-to-week basis.”