Lincoln Riley begins Year 5 at USC on Saturday when he leads the No. 14 Trojans against San Jose State, the only matchup involving a Top 25 team on a light slate for college football’s opening weekend.
Riley, 35-18 in four seasons in Los Angeles, knows the bar is set high in 2026 based on the talent and experience on his roster. He has not yet led USC to the College Football Playoff, which has been dominated of late by the Big Ten.
“I do believe we’re more equipped than at any point in the previous few years,” Riley said. “That’s not a hope or a wish. Those are facts, and there’s a lot of facts to back that up.”
Experience is a good place to start. USC has 12 starters returning from a 9-4 team in 2025, headlined by quarterback Jayden Maiava and an offensive line Riley believes has more than five legitimate starters. There are also a few rows of blue-chip freshmen on the depth chart the Trojans are ready to introduce at the Coliseum on Saturday.
Maiava had 30 total touchdowns and passed for 3,711 yards in 13 games last season. Freshman wide receiver Boobie Feaster is just 17 years old but significant snaps aren’t out of the question early in the season because of his consistency in camp.
But there’s as much anticipation and excitement around the Trojans’ defense, now led by former TCU coach Gary Patterson. Patterson’s attacking front can be challenging to block, and he has horses to make it click. His Horned Frogs defenses ranked No. 1 in the nation five times in his two decades in Fort Worth.
Junior linebacker Desman Stephens II came out of fall camp with the most buzz from teammates and Riley said nothing to contradict those views Tuesday.
“I think Desman Stephens has made one of the biggest jumps as a player,” Riley said. “He has been really, really good. Just really throughout this entire time. I think he’s really taken to coach Patterson’s scheme.”
San Jose State was 3-9 and 11th in the Mountain West in 2025. Expectations are, well, not the same for the visitors on Saturday.
Never mind the oddsmakers installing the Spartans as underdogs of more than five touchdowns (38.5 points as of Tuesday). San Jose State is in a building phase and wants to establish an identity.
Much of that mission depends on Hawaii transfer Luke Weaver at quarterback. One of 33 transfers on the roster, he has two career starts and spent most of last season as the backup to Micah Alejado. He was named SJSU’s starter last week after a three-man competition with Robert McDaniel and Daniel Rolovich.
“Luke processes things really quickly. He sees the field. He’s athletic. He’s a guy that can extend drives with his legs, but he’s not just a scrambler to scramble. He can scramble and throw the football. He’s got some intangibles that we hope are going to pay dividends for us,” SJSU coach Ken Niumatalolo said.
Niumatalolo, who is currently ninth among FBS active head coaches with 119 career wins, is 2-4 against Big Ten teams in his career. Both victories came during his time as head coach at Navy.