Three Looming Trap Games On the USC Trojans' Schedule

Los Angeles — Year 5 of the Lincoln Riley era at USC arrives with College Football Playoff-or-bust expectations, a retooled defense coordinated by newly hired Gary Patterson, and the return of starting quarterback Jayden Maiava. Yet even after an offseason of high-profile portal additions, the 2026 slate is dotted with land mines that could derail the Trojans before the leaves turn color.

Here are three games the Coliseum faithful should circle in pencil, not pen, because each carries classic trap-game DNA.

Washington Date: Oct. 3 | Site: Coliseum Lineage alone makes this a danger zone. The Huskies have beaten USC three straight times since 2019, and quarterback Demond Williams Jr. is back after throwing for 3,065 yards and 25 touchdowns in 2025. The timing is equally cruel: USC will have faced Oregon and touted quarterback Dante Moore seven days earlier in what shapes up as an early-season Big Ten tone-setter. A lethargic start against a confident rival could flip the script quickly.

Wisconsin Date: Oct. 24 | Site: Camp Randall The Badgers’ 4-8 record in 2025 was their worst in two decades, yet athletic director Chris McIntosh retained head coach Luke Fickell, betting on continuity inside one of college football’s most hostile venues. Ranked visitors Washington and Illinois discovered that reality last fall, both tumbling after “Jump Around” rattled the fourth-quarter press box. USC’s visit lands either on the back end of a bye or immediately after a non-conference tune-up, scenarios that historically produce flat openings on the road.

UCLA Date: Nov. 28 | Site: Rose Bowl The crosstown rivalry could be staged at the historic Pasadena stadium for the final time if future rotations shift, and first-year Bruins coach Bob Chesney plans to capitalize. The former James Madison boss has already promised a Big Ten title to Westwood backers, and sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava gives him the trigger man to try. Nothing would accelerate Chesney’s rebuild faster than punctuating Riley’s regular-season finale with an upset that reverberates from Sunset Boulevard to the playoff committee room.

USC’s path to 12-0 is navigable on paper, but history says the paper crumples fast when focus wavers. Handle these three apparent afterthoughts with anything less than full attention, and the Trojans could find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture once again.