News Summary
The USC Trojans football team has been ranked ninth, while the UCLA Bruins are placed fifteenth in the Big Ten Conference preseason poll. This is the first official prediction in 15 years since the conference stopped issuing polls. The rankings highlight the competitive landscape of college football, with USC aiming to improve its previous 7-6 record, and UCLA looking to bounce back from a disappointing 5-7 season. Both teams face challenges as they prepare for the upcoming season, with new recruitments and coaching changes.
Los Angeles — The USC Trojans football team has been ranked ninth in the Big Ten Conference preseason poll, while the UCLA Bruins are placed fifteenth. This ranking comes following the annual preseason media poll released by Cleveland.com, which is notably the first official predictions released since the Big Ten stopped issuing polls 15 years ago.
A total of 24 media members participated in the compilation of this poll, which included coverage from beat writers representing all 18 teams in the Big Ten Conference. The new ranking system highlights the evolving dynamics and competitive landscape of college football within the conference.
In the previous season, the USC Trojans concluded with a record of 7-6 overall and 4-5 in conference play. Under the leadership of head coach Lincoln Riley, who is entering his fourth season, the Trojans experienced a season characterized by tight matches, with eight of their games determined by seven points or less. Notably, they lost to Penn State in an overtime thriller, with a score of 33-30. Penn State topped the preseason poll, marking the start of the upcoming season with high expectations.
USC’s defensive coordinator, D’Anton Lynn, will return for his second year with the team. The Trojans have also made strategic changes in their coaching staff; Zach Hanson has been appointed as the new offensive line coach, aimed at improving a unit that allowed 21 sacks last season. With the offseason recruitment efforts, it is anticipated that Jayden Maiava will step in as the starting quarterback after the transfer of Miller Moss to Louisville. Last season, Maiava showcased his potential by throwing for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns while also rushing for 91 yards and four touchdowns across seven games.
Conversely, the UCLA Bruins, guided by second-year head coach Deshaun Foster, finished the prior season with a record of 5-7 overall and 3-6 in conference play. Despite their struggles last season, the Bruins have seen multiple NFL draft picks emerge, signaling a promising talent pipeline. However, the team will face challenges in the upcoming season as it will be without key defensive players such as linebackers Carson Schwesinger and Oluwafemi Oladejo. Their absence could impact the Bruins’ ability to contend effectively in the fiercely competitive conference.
UCLA has made strides to fortify its roster through recruitment, recently adding Tennessee transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava had a commendable season at Tennessee, throwing for 2,616 yards with 19 touchdowns and only five interceptions. His experience will be pivotal for the Bruins as they aim to improve upon last year’s performance.
The complete preseason poll results exhibit the competitive aspirations within the Big Ten, with the rankings as follows:
- Penn State (11 first-place votes)
- Ohio State (10 first-place votes)
- Oregon (2 first-place votes)
- Illinois
- Michigan (1 first-place vote)
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Nebraska
- USC
- Washington
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- (tie) Michigan State
- (tie) Rutgers
- UCLA
- Maryland
- Northwestern
- Purdue
As USC and UCLA prepare for the upcoming season, the preseason rankings provide both teams with a measure of the challenges they will face and the benchmarks they hope to achieve.
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
HERE Resources
UCLA Bruins Enhance Athletic Roster with Strategic Transfers
Oscar Rios Commits to Arizona Wildcats
UCLA Football Makes Strides in 2026 Recruitment Class
Browns Rely on Rookie Linebacker for Upcoming Season
Cousins Madden and Malaki Soliai Commit to UCLA Bruins
UCLA and Penn State Deny $500 Million Partnership with Elevate
Penn State and UCLA Deny Partnership with Elevate’s Investment Initiative
Beverly Hills Announces New Performing Arts Season
ESPN Launches New Streaming Service This Fall
UCLA Bruins Showcase Talent at Friday Night Lights Event
Additional Resources
- Daily News: Big Ten Football Preseason Poll
- Off Tackle Empire: USC Trojans Predictions 2025
- Sports Illustrated: USC Trojans & UCLA Bruins
- UCLA Bruins: UCLA Football Edged by USC
- USC Trojans: USC Claims 14th Crosstown Cup
- Wikipedia: College Football
- Google Search: USC Football 2025
- Google Scholar: USC Trojans Football
- Encyclopedia Britannica: College Football
- Google News: UCLA Bruins Football
