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Since the College Football Playoffs were established in 2014, USC has not had the most successful run. Their disappointing stretch was highlighted by the Associated Press' 2025 preseason college football rankings, which excluded Lincoln Riley's Trojans from the top 25.
USC's lofty expectations and subsequent shortcomings have not gone unnoticed. The Trojans were deemed the unfortunate recipient as the “most overrated team” of the College Football Playoff era by On3 Sports' Brett McMurphy.
NEW: AP Poll Voters’ Most Overrated Preseason College Football Teams since 2014 via @Brett_McMurphy😬 https://t.co/hqfQy9PB30 pic.twitter.com/BRB6Y63RtT
— On3 (@On3sports) August 12, 2025
McMurphy noted that USC narrowly edged Auburn and Texas A&M for the top spot by his calculations. LSU and Wisconsin rounded out the top five most overrated programs. The analyst included Florida State, Oregon, Oklahoma, Miami and Michigan to complete his top 10.
Since the College Football Playoffs debuted, USC has been ranked in the preseason top 25 every year until 2025. However, they have yet to make the playoffs and have not ended with a record better than 11-3.
The Trojans' blemishes were epitomized in 2023, when they began the season ranked No. 6 and ended the year unranked. They entered the year with high expectations, led by 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams in Riley's second year with the team. Instead, they won just one of their last five regular season games to go just 8-5 in their last year in the Pac-12.
Lincoln Riley, USC excluded from 2025 college football rankings
Despite returning nine starters and a handful of exciting transfers, USC was left off the 2025 preseason college football rankings for the first time in program history. The exclusion is a massive disappointment for Riley, who the school made its highest-paid coach of all time in 2021.
The Trojans entered the 2024 season ranked No. 23 in the preseason poll and shot up to No. 13 after a Week 1 win over LSU. However, they found themselves with a mere 3-2 record through five games after suffering a pair of upset losses to Michigan and Minnesota. They would go just 3-4 for the remainder of the regular season to end their inaugural season in the Big 10 with a 7-6 record.
An adjustment period was necessary as USC transitioned from the West Coast-based Pac-12 to the Midwestern-focused Big 10. Not only was the school's travel schedule one of the worst in the country, but its strength of schedule increased tenfold from the previous year.
Regardless, USC annually expects to be a national powerhouse, and its hiring of Riley was intended to restore that standard to Los Angeles. They get a softer schedule as they attempt to do so in 2025, with games against Missouri State and Georgia Southern to begin the regular season. The Trojans will not face a formidable opponent until No. 12-ranked Illinois on the road in Week 4.
