Although USC began competing in intercollegiate football in 1888,[1] the school's official record book considers the "modern era" to have begun in the 1920s. Records from before this decade are often incomplete and inconsistent, and they are generally not included in these lists.
These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
Since the 1920s, seasons have increased from 10 to 11 and then 12 games in length.
The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
The Trojans have played in 57 bowl games in school history,[2] 39 of which have come since the 1970 season. Although the official NCAA record book does not include bowl games in statistical records until 2002,[3] and most colleges also structure their record books this way, USC counts all bowl games in its records.[1]
Due to COVID-19 issues, the NCAA ruled that the 2020 season would not count against the athletic eligibility of any football player, giving everyone who played in that season the opportunity for five years of eligibility instead of the normal four.[4]
These lists are updated through the end of the 2023 season. Recent USC Football Media Guides do not include full top 10 lists for single-game records. However, the 2003 version of the media guide included long lists of top individual single-game performances,[5] and box scores from more recent games are readily available, so the lists are easily derived.
^ abcThe NCAA does not credit Bush with this total; it later ruled him to have been ineligible for the last two games of the 2004 season and all of the 2005 season. USC includes all of Bush's statistics in its record books, but adds a prominent disclaimer indicating the NCAA treatment of his records.
