Could USC Be A Playoff Team? One Former Player Thinks So

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The USC Trojans have started the 2025 season 4-0, with some impressive performances against overmatched opponents, and an offensive onslaught against the Michigan State Spartans at the Coliseum. Starting fast was vitally important for SC and head coach Lincoln Riley, after a miserable 2024 saw them blow big leads, fail to close games, make inexcusable turnovers, and collapse down the stretch for a 6-6 record.

This year's start is becoming even more important ahead of the Trojans big road matchup against the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday in Champaign-Urbana. While some of the shine is off thanks to the Indiana Hoosiers' 63-10 obliteration of the Fighting Illini in Bloomington this past Saturday, it's still a difficult road matchup in an unfamiliar environment against a highly motivated opponent.

With even tougher games looming against the Michigan Wolverines, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, a road trip to Nebraska and another road matchup against the Oregon Ducks, this might be viewed as a must-win if the Trojans want to reach the College Football Playoff. And one of their most prominent former stars thinks they are, and should be, a playoff team.

Former SC legend Matt Leinart joined "The Joel Klatt Show" this week to talk about the Trojans' start, and how they might be underrated by the national media and poll voters.

"I think they're a playoff team," Leinart said. "I think that's the ceiling."

Klatt jumped in to ask Leinart if he views SC as a 10-2 team or 11-1, considering it's unlikely 9-3 makes it in to the field this season. "I think they're a 10-2 team," Leinart responded. "And I think a 10-2 USC has a great shot at getting into the playoff. And I just look at this week and the next five weeks...you have Illinois, which I think USC will win this weekend, but then you have Michigan, you have Nebraska, you have Notre Dame, and then you're at Oregon. I think Oregon's a tough one for them on the road. You have to win two of those four games."

Leinart went on to acknowledge that SC was an atrocious road team in 2024, and they have to show they've moved past that in order to reach those goals. But it has started to look much more possible than it did just a few weeks ago. ESPN's FPI metric, for example, gives SC roughly a 50% chance to reach the playoff, despite just a 1.9% chance of winning out.

Beating Illinois is just the start, but it's a necessary one. And the Trojans will be at a disadvantage thanks to an early start time that Riley is not a fan of.

"Going from the absolute latest kick in the country to the absolute earliest kick in the country has its challenges," Riley told the media. "But the challenges - like, it is what it is. We don't make the schedule. Clearly."