For the 11th year in a row, and for the fourth time under, he finished the season watching the College Football Playoff field from the outside.
But they will end this football season with their first win.
USC will play Texas Christian in the Alamo Bowl, a person not authorized to discuss the matchup publicly confirmed to the Times. The Trojans have never spent a bowl season in San Antonio, which has hosted the Alamo Bowl since 1993.
Their opponent was a bit of a surprise considering the Horned Frogs finished the regular season with an 8-4 record and tied for fifth place in the Big 12. The Alamo Bowl had the first selection of a Big 12 team and could have chosen Brigham Young, which lost in the Big 12 title game and, like USC, finished within one loss of the playoffs. However, the bowl likely went to the Cougars since they participated in the game last season.
USC will head to San Antonio knowing that the Trojans are just one win away from taking it. In the end, they finished 16th in the final College Football Playoff rankings with two wins (Michigan and Iowa) and two losses (Oregon and Notre Dame) against top 25 teams.
A bid to the Alamo Bowl may not be much consolation to those who expected USC to compete for its first playoff appearance in 2025. But those hopes came to an end last month in Eugene, Oregon, as the playoff-bound Ducks suffered their third loss of the year to the Trojans.
Since then, Riley has reiterated the importance of finishing this season on a strong note and “paving the way” for the program going forward. This message helped inspire a dominant rivalry victory over UCLA. Whether that resonates through next bowl season without bigger stakes remains to be seen.
This is the second time in the last eight seasons that USC has finished with 10 wins, the last time being in 2022, Riley’s debut season. The Trojans have performed well in each of the last two seasons under Riley, defeating Louisville in a thrilling Holiday Bowl late in the 2023 season and mounting a comeback to upset Texas A&M in the 2024 Las Vegas Bowl.
This time, the Trojans enter the bowl as clear favorites. TCU has one win against a ranked team this season, a 17-14 win over No. 21 Houston, but its only other ranked matchup was a lopsided loss to BYU.
TCU quarterback Josh Hoover is one of the Big 12’s most prolific passers, rushing for 3,472 yards and 29 touchdowns this season. However, he also led the league in interceptions (13).
The Horned Frogs can move the ball through the air, but their opponents aren’t facing much resistance either. TCU ranks 108th nationally in pass defense, statistically the worst pass defense USC has faced all season.
USC will be without some key pieces of its passing attack, and perhaps even more. The offensive line lost two starters to injury (left tackle Elijah Page and center Killian O’Connor), while a key reserve, Micah Banuelos, entered the transfer portal last week.
The offense will almost certainly have to navigate the absence of Makai Lemon, who declared for the NFL Draft and is expected to miss the game. However, fellow wideout Jacobi Lane’s future plans are still unclear. Quarterback Jaden Maiava and running back Waymond Jordan have not announced whether they plan to return to lead USC’s offense in 2026.
Eleven Trojans have entered the transfer portal since the end of the regular season, in part to clear the way for the 35-player freshman class. A few more could join them by the time USC reaches a bowl game.
But with a chance at a 10-win season at stake, the Trojans will have something to play for in San Antonio. Even if it’s not what you once wanted.
