On Monday night, the 2025 college football came to a conclusion with Indiana defeating Miami to win its first ever national championship. The following day, the final AP Poll of the season was released, with USC coming in at No. 20. While the 2025 season is now in the books, however, it is never too early to start thinking about 2026. Earlier this week, USA TODAY Sports released its way-too-early top 25 for the 2026 college football season. USC came in at No. 12 in the rankings.
“There’s reason for optimism at USC, including the return of quarterback Jaydan Maiava, additions such as cornerback Jontez Williams (Iowa State) and wide receiver Terrell Anderson (North Carolina State) and the arrival of the nation’s top recruiting class,” writers Erick Smith and Paul Myerberg wrote of the Trojans. “The Trojans’ roster will be the deepest it has been since they joined the Big Ten. But USC will take on a schedule that includes Indiana, Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon.”
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Ultimately, these way-too-early rankings are just for fun and mean absolutely nothing. However, it is still fun to speculate about where teams stand heading into next season—a year in which the Trojans will have a lot to prove on the field.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC football ranked No. 12 in USA TODAY way-too-early 2026 top 25
