Make California Post a Preferred Source This could be the start of the payoff for all of USC coach Lincoln Riley’s heartache and strain.
All of that early promise with a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback that never was fulfilled.
All of those seasons that ended short of the College Football Playoff.
All of the constant pivoting this way and that to address every shortcoming.
With a victory over No. 20 Oregon on Saturday at the Coliseum, the No. 12 Trojans could finally be on their way under Riley and quarterback Jayden Maiava. Beating the Ducks would wildly swing fan sentiment about a coach who has not lived up to expectations since his arrival from Oklahoma before the 2022 season.
Riley took the Sooners to the CFP three times, making USC fans believe he would do the same here.
What’s transpired instead has been one Cotton Bowl appearance — which ended in a meltdown against Tulane — along with a mishmash of lesser bowl games.
With a veteran quarterback in Maiava and a slew of freshmen who have already showed why they comprised the top-ranked recruiting class in the country, the Trojans could be on the verge of their long-awaited breakthrough.
A USC win over Oregon makes games against Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana in the coming weeks all the more meaningful. It also opens a wider pathway to the CFP, which would involve even bigger games.
Only one thing seems assured when the Trojans (4-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) face the Ducks (2-1, 0-0) before the home team’s first sellout crowd of the season.
“The atmosphere in the Coliseum here on Saturday is going to be phenomenal,” Riley said. “It’s going to be a heck of a football game.”
Riley hasn’t beaten coach Dan Lanning’s Ducks in two tries, but both of those previous meetings came at Autzen Stadium. Can Riley get a breakthrough amid far friendlier confines?
Here are five things to watch in a game that will kick off at 4:30 p.m. on NBC:
One thing math nerds and college football fans can agree on is that the transitive property doesn’t always hold up in sports.
Loosely interpreted, the rule holds that Oregon nearly stumbled against Boise State and lost to Oklahoma State, so the Ducks must be doomed against USC.
Meanwhile, the Trojans gave up 35 points to Rutgers, so no way can they beat Oregon.
Here’s the problem: One of those assertions is going to be proven false Saturday.
“Each game’s its own game, and you have to understand and you have to learn from it,” Riley said, “but just because something happened in one game for any side — good or bad — has no bearing on what’s going to happen the next week.”
Riley suggested that his team has only shown glimpses of its potential after demolishing three small-conference opponents and holding on against Rutgers.
“We can play a lot better, and our ceiling is still out there,” Riley said, “and there’s a really good version of this team that we’re working hard to get to and we’re excited to see.”
This could also be a milestone moment for Riley’s top protege.
Maiava is still seeking his first statement victory in his second full season as the Trojans’ starting quarterback.
Riley said he believes Maiava is ready after noting that he’s improved more than any previous quarterback he’s coached. Maiava was putting up Heisman Trophy-level efficiency before a bit of a clunker last weekend against Rutgers.
The important thing in a game like this, Riley said, is for Maiava to lean on previous experiences while also having a clear vision of what he needs to do better. Maiava’s teammates said they’ve never seen him more confident than he’s been in the season’s early going.
“He’s the guy,” Riley said, “I want taking us into this game, for sure.”
Wide receiver Terrell Anderson was hailed as perhaps the Trojans’ biggest pickup out of the transfer portal.
But after making 39 catches for 629 yards and five touchdowns last season at N.C. State, Anderson has appeared in just three games and been relegated to special teams since his arrival at USC.
Riley said an injury Anderson sustained in training camp, combined with the emergence of a slew of freshmen, have combined to limit the transfer’s opportunities.
“Last week was really the first kind of full real healthy week that he’s had,” Riley said, “and he’s much better this week, and I imagine he’s just gonna continue to get better going forward. So Terrell’s a heck of a player, and he’s definitely gonna help us, there’s no question about it.”
Waymond Jordan opened the season as the Trojans’ starting running back after a prolonged recovery from an ankle injury.
But King Miller has started the last two games, and now Riley Wormley has begun to emerge as a go-to option after making three carries for 52 yards and a touchdown — along with a 2-yard touchdown catch — against Rutgers.
Jordan remains a big part of the rotation, making eight carries for 26 yards against the Scarlet Knights, but continues to seek his first big game of 2026.
Does Jordan feel like he’s back to where he was before he was hurt?
“Oh, yeah, for sure,” Jordan said with a wide smile. “I feel amazing.”
These teams share plenty of stylistic similarities.
Each has an elite quarterback and a prolific offense combined with a defense that’s something considerably less impressive.
Oregon gave up 39 points against Oklahoma State — its only major-conference opponent — which was even worse than the Trojans’ showing against Rutgers.
But the series’ history is one-sided in the Ducks’ favor.
Oregon has won six of the last seven meetings, as well as eight of the last 10. USC hasn’t beaten the Ducks in Los Angeles since 2016.
