The 2026 season looms as perhaps the most consequential in recent Trojan history, a year in which USC’s football, women's basketball and baseball programs each confront a pattern of almost‑victories that has lingered for decades.
A History of Almost
USC football has repeatedly brushed the College Football Playoff without ever securing a spot, highlighted by a 2022 Pac‑12 Championship Game loss and a 2023 Cotton Bowl collapse. The program's lone major bowl triumph came in 2016 with the Rose Bowl win over Penn State, a high point that now feels distant.
On the hardwood, the women's basketball squad has not returned to the NCAA Final Four since 1986, despite Elite Eight appearances in recent years. Star forward JuJu Watkins, who was poised to lead the charge, suffered a season‑ending injury during the 2025 tournament, leaving the team without its most dynamic weapon.
Baseball, too, has been haunted by near‑misses; the 2025 club was two outs away from the College World Series before falling short, continuing a drought that began with the 2001 championship.
Pressure on the Helm
Lincoln Riley, now in his fifth year as head coach of the football team, bears the brunt of the expectation. Four seasons of playoff pursuits have yielded only incremental progress, and the upcoming campaign is widely viewed as a make‑or‑break moment for his tenure.
Meanwhile, the women's basketball program has assembled a promising core that includes Watkins alongside elite recruits Jazzy Davidson and Kennedy Smith. Their combined talent suggests a realistic pathway back to the Final Four, provided health and cohesion prevail.
Andy Stankiewicz has revitalized the baseball program, but the team still requires those final two outs to clinch a College World Series berth. The lingering question is whether the new coaching direction can translate steady improvement into a championship.
Fan Sentiment and Institutional Identity
Across campus and the broader Los Angeles community, Trojan fans have grown weary of the "almost" narrative. The collective demand is no longer for promising performances but for concrete achievements that restore USC's reputation as a powerhouse in collegiate athletics.
The stakes extend beyond individual sports; they touch the very identity of the university's athletic brand. Success in 2026 would signal a cultural shift, validating the investments in facilities, recruiting and coaching that have been made over the past decade.
Paths Forward
For football, the answer lies in Riley's ability to adapt his offensive scheme and instill resilience in a roster that has repeatedly faltered in critical moments. In basketball, the focus is on integrating Watkins' recovery with the chemistry of newly arrived talent. Baseball must convert late‑season momentum into postseason dominance.
If any of these narratives culminate in a championship, the ripple effect will reshape recruiting pipelines, alumni giving and the university's national perception. The 2026 season, therefore, is not merely a schedule of games but a decisive chapter in USC's athletic story.