USC's Surprisingly Standing Among Teams With Best Future

The USC Trojans, entering the 2026 college football season with the top-ranked recruiting class and a new facility, are not considered among the top 10 programs set for future success by football analyst J.D. PicKell. Despite high expectations, PicKell excluded USC from his list, which focuses on program stability, resource availability, and accessibility to the College Football Playoff.

PicKell's top 10 programs set for future success include Oregon, Ohio State, Miami, Georgia, Notre Dame, Texas Tech, Indiana, Texas, Texas A&M, and LSU. He emphasizes the importance of coaching stability, roster strength, financial resources, and playoff paths in his evaluation.

USC, under head coach Lincoln Riley since 2022, has not yet achieved conference titles or national championships during his tenure, which has led to questions about his long-term stability. Despite USC's strong financial resources and upcoming Bloom Football Performance Center, their path to the playoff is challenging due to competition in the