USC has won 886 games on the NCAA’s count and 900 on the field, the difference being the fourteen wins from 2004 and 2005 that were vacated in 2010. The .694 winning percentage places the Trojans among the top ten programs by that measure, and the shape of the record is unusual: three concentrated eras of dominance under Howard Jones, John McKay and Pete Carroll, and long stretches between them of ordinary football in a building built for extraordinary crowds.
| NCAA record through 2025 | 886, 375, 54 |
| On field record | 900, 375, 54 |
| Winning percentage | .694 |
| First season | 1888, a 16 to 0 win over the Alliance Athletic Club |
| National championships | Eleven claimed, ten recognised |
| Conference championships | 37, plus two vacated |
| Bowl record | 36 wins, 20 losses, with 25 Rose Bowl wins |
The Fourteen Missing Wins
In June 2010 the NCAA vacated USC’s final two wins of 2004, including the Orange Bowl that decided the national championship, and all twelve wins of 2005, as punishment for improper benefits to Reggie Bush and his family. Fourteen wins came off the record along with the 2004 title, and the 34 game winning streak is officially twenty. USC’s own materials count the games as played and list the program at 900 wins; the NCAA records book says 886. Our national championships page covers the vacated title.
The Coaches Who Built It
| Coach | Seasons | Wins | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| John McKay | 1960 to 1975 | 127 | .749 |
| Howard Jones | 1925 to 1940 | 121 | .750 |
| John Robinson | 1976 to 1982, 1993 to 1997 | 104 | .741 |
| Pete Carroll | 2001 to 2009 | 97 on field, 83 official | .836 |
| Jeff Cravath | 1942 to 1950 | 54 | .644 |
| Clay Helton | 2015 to 2021 | 46 | .657 |
| Lincoln Riley | 2022 to present | 35 | .660 |
Jones, McKay, Robinson and Carroll account for 449 of the on field wins and ten of the eleven claimed titles. Gus Henderson’s .865 from 1919 to 1924 is the best percentage of any USC coach. Our head coaches page has all 30 with records.
Three Eras and the Gaps Between
USC’s record was built in bursts. Howard Jones went 121, 36 and 13 from 1925 to 1940 with four titles. The 1940s and 1950s produced a .600 program with one Rose Bowl win. John McKay and John Robinson then went 194, 54 and 10 across 23 seasons from 1960 to 1982 with five titles and four Heisman winners. The 1990s drifted again, and Pete Carroll’s nine seasons at .836 were the most dominant stretch in the program’s history before the NCAA took part of it away. The sixteen seasons since have produced a .620 record and one conference title.
The Losing Seasons
USC has had few. Since 1958 the losing seasons are John McKay’s first two years in 1960 and 1961, Ted Tollner’s first in 1983, Larry Smith’s 3 and 8 in 1991, Paul Hackett’s 5 and 7 in 2000, and 2018 and 2021 under Clay Helton and Donte Williams. Lincoln Riley has not had one, though his 7 and 6 in 2024 was the program’s worst record in a winning season since 2001.
The Riley Years
Riley went 11 and 3 in 2022 with a Heisman winner, then 8 and 5, 7 and 6 in the first Big Ten season, and 9 and 4 in 2025 with a 7 and 2 conference record and an overtime Alamo Bowl loss to TCU. The 2026 season is his fifth, and the schedule has no Notre Dame game for the first time since 1945. Our 2026 schedule page has the full slate.
The Bottom Line
USC is 886 wins, 375 losses and 54 ties by the NCAA’s count and 900 wins on the field, a .694 winning percentage built in three eras under Howard Jones, John McKay and Pete Carroll. Fourteen vacated wins from 2004 and 2005 separate the two totals. Lincoln Riley is 35 and 18 entering his fifth season. Our winningest programs page has the full top 20.