Battle of the Backfields: USC vs. Big Ten’s Ground Games
USC quietly churned out the Big Ten’s sixth-best rushing attack at 169.5 yards per game in 2025, led by freshman walk-on King Miller’s explosive debut. Miller punctuated his arrival with four 100-yard outings against conference foes. He teams up with JC transfer Waymond Jordan (6.5 yards per carry, five TDs in five games) plus three highly touted freshmen—Deshonne Redeaux, Shahn Alston and Riley Wormley—and redshirter Cian McKelvey. Together they vie for the conference’s top backfield crown against Ohio State’s Bo Jackson, Michigan’s ground game, and Oregon’s Davison-Hill tandem.
Who knew a walk-on could make defenses feel like they’d been hit by a runaway freight train? In the world of Trojan football, the underdog has officially placed his order for “Heisman-sized hype.” USC fans should start crafting bumper stickers: “My Backfield Beats Yours”—because between Miller’s breakaway bursts and Jordan’s bruiser moves, the Big Ten may need a group therapy session.
Trojans Snubbed in Playoff Predictions: Experts Fail Traffic Test
On3’s Brett McMurphy projects USC to miss the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff in 2026, placing Miami, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Oregon and others ahead. Instead, McMurphy slots USC into the Las Vegas Bowl versus Michigan. Despite a 9-3 2025 regular season and future matchups with four Big Ten playoff squads, USC’s playoff dreams remain on “hold” according to his post-spring projections.
Clearly, McMurphy has never sat through LA traffic. If playoff spots were awarded by gridlock stamina, the Trojans would be national champs. Instead, USC’s fate is relegated to Sin City, where they’ll gamble on touchdowns instead of rolling dice. Las Vegas Bowl? More like Las Vegas “Buy-One-Get-One Loss.” But hey, at least the neon lights will match the team’s burning desire to prove the pundits wrong.
Quarterback Whispers: Jayden Maiava’s Ranking Raises Eyebrows
CBS Sports pegged USC’s Jayden Maiava as the No. 9 power-conference QB for 2026, third in the Big Ten behind Oregon’s Dante Moore and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin. Maiava’s 2025 performance (3,711 yards, 24 TDs, 10 INTs) earned him a spot just above Indiana’s Josh Hoover. His 2026 season will hinge on road tests at Indiana and home showdowns with Oregon and Ohio State, where ball security (10 INTs last year) and his dual-threat legs will determine if he cracks Heisman conversations or NFL draft first rounds.
Ranking quarterbacks is like picking who’ll win a hot-dog-eating contest—often messy, rarely precise. Calling Maiava ninth is like listing your least-favorite pizza topping but leaving out the olives. Sure, he threw ten interceptions last year, but with Lincoln Riley’s tutelage, he could convince board rooms that “INT” stands for “I’m Nothing To Fear.” Grab your popcorn, because Jayden’s about to turn skeptics into converts—or at least draft-day headliners.
Helicopters and High Hopes: USC’s Sky-High Recruiting Tactics
USC’s football staff deployed a helicopter to visit four-star safety Gavin Williams (No. 86 overall, No. 6 at his position) at Damien High’s college showcase, despite the 40-mile campus commute. Williams, with official visits lined up at USC, Notre Dame, Washington and UCLA, has already made three Trojan trips, including a home visit from Lincoln Riley. USC’s 2027 secondary pipeline includes five-star Honor Fa’alave-Johnson, four-star Aaryn Washington and Danny Lang, plus other top 100 prospects, as Riley stacks back-to-back elite classes.
When rush-hour traffic hits, why wait on the freeway when you can fly above it? USC’s aerial recruiting blitz proves that campus visits shouldn’t require a blood-pressure monitor. If the Trojan staff ever loses cell coverage, they’ll just hover over campus and wave down recruits. Gavin Williams may join the fleet soon—after all, nothing says “we want you” like a personal chopper ride and a complimentary air sickness bag for the unprepared.
Trojans Swipe Sharpshooter: USC Nets Bruns from South Dakota
USC’s men’s basketball team added 6-5 guard Isaac Bruns from South Dakota, bolstering its transfer portal haul to seven. Bruns averaged 20.8 points per game, shot 39% from three, and posted 12 twenty-point performances in 20 games. He torched power-conference opponents—29 versus Prairie View A&M, 19 at Kansas State, 22 on Wyoming and 16 against No. 23 Creighton. Bruns adds coveted long-range shooting to Eric Musselman’s deep backcourt, joining other portal pickups and returning freshman Alijah Arenas.
At USC, “stacking the portal” is the new version of “stacking pancakes”—sweet, filling and guaranteed to level up your breakfast… I mean, backcourt. Bruns can uncork threes so quickly opponents will need a shoehorn to catch up. Musselman might as well change the playbook title to “Three-Point Cheesecake Factory.” Opponents, prepare for your nets to develop a drinking problem—they won’t stop pouring in shots.
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