JuJu Watkins, one of the brightest young stars in women’s college basketball, is back on the court. The Southern California guard was sidelined last season while rehabbing a torn ACL.
Watkins' first two seasons with the USC Trojans saw her score an average of 25.6 points per game. Now, she returns to a talented supporting cast as the No. 3 Trojans pursue their first national championship since 1984.
"It’s on my mind every day," Watkins said. "So much anticipation has gone into this year. I want it really badly, but also in a healthy way. I just want to have fun and really enjoy this year."
Watkins added that she's already imagined what it will feel like to see her first basket go in.
"I’ve had dreams about that every night. I might shed a tear, honestly, I can’t lie," she said. "That’ll be a really amazing feeling for me."
Watkins scored 18 points in 22 minutes during USC’s recent exhibition win over California, offering an early glimpse of what her return could mean.
She will share the backcourt with Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jazzy Davidson, who averaged 17.9 points last season. Although this will be their first season playing together, the duo began building chemistry while Watkins recovered from the injury she suffered in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. She could often be seen encouraging Davidson from the sideline.
"She saw me being hard on myself and I think she saw a little bit of her in me," Davidson said, "and so she kind of knew what it was like going through that. Being able to build the friendship that we were able to build, it’s a huge blessing."
USC’s stockpile of talent includes guard Saniyah Hall, who had 23 points, six rebounds and five steals in the Trojans’ exhibition, as well as forward Sara Okeke, one of three five-star recruits to join the roster.
"They have proven that they’re going to be really impactful players at a high level," coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.
Last season, Watkins would set up chairs in the locker room for the team talk on the road. It was one of the small ways she found to be useful without being on the court.
"I was able to take on a leadership role for sure, and I can’t say I really owned that role prior to that," she said. "Being able to do that and also see the game from a different perspective and seeing how can I help my team really helped grow my IQ and leadership skills."
So, you thought this would be an average coaching carousel compared to previous years?
If history is any indication, it only takes one domino to fall in college football for the chaos to begin.
After Maryland decided to fire coach Mike Locksley, we now have three openings in college football (NC State, Baylor) before a weekend slate of games that could trigger further discussions on a number of coaches that are teetering on the edge.
But, as we've all seen over the past year, the financial aspect of making moves in this current climate of college athletics will also play a pivotal role in what this carousel looks like as we head down the final stretch of the regular season.
Also, the situation in Tallahassee continues to be in flux, with the Florida State administration pleading with fans to show up for the student-athletes, with no mention of head coach Mike Norvell in their statement earlier this week.
There are a number of folks around the Seminoles program that would prefer not paying a reported $50 million buyout, and potentially allocating those funds towards piecing a competitive roster for the 2027 season.
Here are two of the more intriguing situations currently taking place across college football, that could lead to a number of dominos falling.
So, let's take a look at where we are, after speaking with multiple sources across the country.
If Lincoln Riley loses to Ohio State this weekend, the temperature will only rise
After losing to Wisconsin last weekend, with a disastrous effort on offense, folks around the USC program are starting to wonder what the future holds for the Trojans head coach that made it clear this week he wants to remain in Los Angeles.
Well sure, a lot of coaches would love to keep their jobs at schools that are described as 'premier' in the sport.
For Lincoln Riley, the ongoing chatter among those within the industry is that if USC were to lose to a backup quarterback from Ohio State on Saturday, the situation could turn very quick.
Remember, athletic director Jen Cohen did not hire Lincoln. As we previously reported on this matter, there have already been questions as to whether Riley could find himself an escape hatch that opens back up in his home state of Texas.
We all know he's a competitor, but leaving USC for a return to the Big 12 at a school like Baylor might not be the worst thing for a head coach who is hanging on by a thread at his current employer. Also, what about a school like TCU, if they were to move on from Sonny Dykes?
The reported $70 million buyout for Lincoln Riley could be mitigated if he were to take another job within college football, so that number could actually drop, though it would be interesting to see by how much.
Yes, the USC head coach can say all of the right things about how much he loves his job, and that he's had opportunities to leave Los Angeles in the past. But, there is a real possibility that if USC were to lose on Saturday night, another two losses could be on the way against Indiana and UCLA.
And, pay attention to what happens if Lincoln were to be fired in regard to who could potentially be a top candidate. There are a lot of folks wondering if Kalen DeBoer would enjoy getting the band back together with his former athletic director, Jen Cohen at USC.
It's a mess at Colorado for the athletic department regarding Deion Sanders
OK, the honeymoon period ended two years ago for Coach Prime in Boulder.
It was the 2024 season that gave Colorado fans something to savor, thanks in large part to Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, along with a group of teammates who bought into what Coach Prime was instilling within Boulder.
Then came a 3-9 season in 2025, followed by a squad that is currently 2-5 after additional collapses over the past few weeks.
Deion has spent more time getting into arguments with local media over the last two seasons than actually promoting his program. He thought things would go a different way after Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter left, with recruits and portal stars wanting to flock towards Colorado.
What we've seen since has been abysmal. Would athletic director Fernando Lovo be able to garner enough support to justify paying Deion Sanders somewhere around $25 million to go away?
We might find that part out sooner rather than later, especially if the Buffaloes were to lose again this weekend to Kansas State.
The celebrities are no longer showing up and the patience has run out in Boulder.
But, would Deion leave on his own, or force Colorado to pay his buyout while knowing it could become contentious?
There are a number of jobs around college football that could be forced open over the next month, as we enter a potential wild month of November and the end of the regular season.
Stay tuned to OutKick for the latest.
Let me know what you think. Email me your thoughts at Trey.Wallace@Outkick.com
To say that expectations were high at USC heading into the 2026 college football season would be an understatement.
The Trojans, especially head coach Lincoln Riley, were adamant that this year would be different than the recent disappointments. SC finished 9-3 in 2025, brought in the number one recruiting class in the country, added some talent at key positions in the transfer portal, and returned starting quarterback Jayden Maiava after a strong 2025. They hired former TCU head coach Gary Patterson to run the defense. In theory, the elements had finally come together to return the program to prominence. And they said as much.
"The time is now," the marketing campaign went. Riley gave interviews in the spring, including one to On3, where he said the administration got "serious" about competing at the highest levels of college football.
"USC had to get really serious about being great in the sport again," he explained. " I give the school administration — everybody — credit. They have.
"Taking this over, you knew you had to go fight like hell just to try to get this window opened," Riley said. "And we’re at a point right now where there’s a lot to be excited about and a lot in front of us. It’s been a lot of work for a lot of people, a lot of commitment from a lot of people to get there, and it should be a lot of fun these next few years."
"We came here to win championships," he continued. " A lot of us have been fortunate enough to be a part of a lot of championships. We certainly didn’t come here for anything less. We’ve got to go buckle down and improve and really come together, but there’s the makings of a championship-level football team in that building right now."
Fast-forward to late-October, and they're anything but. After an inexcusable loss to Wisconsin this past weekend, USC is now 6-2 and unranked in the AP Poll. While they had a nice win over Penn State in a hostile "White Out" environment in Happy Valley, the Trojans lost at home to a very mediocre Oregon Ducks team playing a backup quarterback.
The seven points they scored against the Badgers on the road, after a bye week no less, represented the lowest point total of any Lincoln Riley-coached team. With a senior quarterback in his third season in the program and a very highly-paid offensive line. Naturally, the defense wasn't good enough to keep the game close. It never is.
The performance, the record, the mediocrity, the consistent underachievement ... all of it has led to rampant, and growingly serious, speculation that Riley's job is contingent on a strong finish to the season. Perfect timing to host Ohio State and go on the road to face Indiana.
Part of the speculation is the assumption, or the observation, that Riley doesn't seem fully connected to the USC program. That he's ready to move on as much as the SC fanbase is ready to move on from him.
He addressed those questions and opinions at a news conference this week, saying that he's fully committed to staying in LA and that SC is where he belongs.
"Listen, if I didn't want to be at this place, I wouldn't have come here in the first place. I've had plenty of opportunities to leave," Riley explained Tuesday afternoon. "This is where I want to be. This is the right place for me. I'm the right person to be here. And that's as honest and transparent as I can be with you guys.
"I love it here. I mean like I told you guys a lot of times — there's not many people in college football history that gave up what I gave up to come here," Riley said. "I don't care if it's 15 years down the line, that never should be taken lightly. It's certainly not taken lightly by me. I came here because I believe in this place and none of that has changed whatsoever."
That's an interesting way to put it, because it's not exactly clear what Riley "gave up" to come to SC. He got a huge raise in salary. He locked in a massive buyout, ensuring generational wealth no matter how well he coached. He went from living in Norman, Oklahoma, to a palatial $35 million mansion on top of a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, acquired for him by USC. What was the big sacrifice he made? Theoretically losing favor with Oklahoma fans, but uh, you know, $100+ million can make up for some mean comments by anonymous message board accounts.
Riley said that he has a great relationship with USC's Athletic Director Jen Cohen, and said she's been a "huge part of the progress that we've made."
Though again, it's not clear what progress he's referring to. USC went 11-1 in the regular season in his first year in LA, thanks in large part to Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. They haven't won 10 games since, and have to win while playing three top-10 teams to do so in 2026.
As for his demeanor, which can sometimes give off the impression he doesn't care, Riley addressed that too.
"When you're a head coach of a blue-blood school, you have to be ready to weather the storms, the overly positive or the overly negative," he said. "Typically, what I've learned from doing this for a few years, I haven't learned it all, but the truth typically lies somewhere in the middle. And that's typically where it's at even if you know that it's going to sensationalize. And so my job is to stay steady."
Well, that's all true. And all well and good. But when your team comes out lifeless for road game after road game, loses games it should win to programs like Minnesota, Maryland and Wisconsin, and struggles against Oregon or Notre Dame, it's reasonable to question. Watching what Curt Cignetti has done at Indiana, or even Bob Chesney in his first year at UCLA, it's easy to see why there's such disappointment in Riley's work at SC. There's little toughness, discipline, or consistency on the roster. And always another special teams mistake.
Riley might be committed to USC, but that's a two-way street. And Saturday's game, Ohio State playing with potentially a true freshman backup quarterback on the road, might be enough to end the Trojans' commitment to him. Baylor anyone?
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