BREAKTHROUGH? USC's Lincoln Riley and Gary Patterson Lead Playoff PUSH — Bryce Underwood Doubts

Lincoln Riley enters a highly pressurized season in 2026 in which many fans have Playoff expectations, not just aspirations. Can the Trojans emerge as Big 10 champions first? On today's episode of Locked On College Football, Spencer McLaughlin discusses why the Louisville Cardinals should be mentioned in Playoff discussions. There is one major question that HC Jeff Brohm must answer first. TCU is the only Big 12 team to have made the national championship game in the College Football Playoff era. The Horned Frogs don't feel like they're getting closer to that level of competition.  Photo Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images 00:00 Predicting USC's football season  06:00 Bryce Underwood's essential role  07:18 Comparing college football prospects  12:57 Comparing Louisville and Ole Miss  15:18 Early college football insights  17:45 Louisville's playoff chances  22:10 TCU's tough upcoming schedule  25:39 Baylor's intriguing matchup preview  Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! KALSHI  For a limited time, Download the Kalshi app and use code [LOCKEDON] to get $10 when you trade $10 The Game  Don't miss this chance to celebrate 40 years of The Game with 40% off your entire order. Visit https://TheGameCaps.com and use promo code LOCKEDONat checkout.  Odoo  Great organizations win because operations matter. And that’s why you should get Odoo. Try for free today at https://Odoo.com/lockedon.  Indeed  Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast  Gametime  Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONfor $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.  FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COMto play Daily Dingers and make your free pick on who’s hitting a homer this MLB season.  FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.