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It is hard to believe after 103 seasons of play but USC football is going through some growing pains. Head coach Lincoln Riley lost a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from last season while adding a few thousand miles to the road schedule. The PAC-12 to Big Ten move has created more than a few Michigan maize and blue-related headaches. Getting used to one way the game is played is more of a priority than the roster's seating arrangements, however.
This is just one coach's view reported by The Athletic's Antonio Morales but in college sports, USC football's opinion still counts for something.
“Yes, very much so, at least up to this point. The league lets you play a bit more,” opined Riley. “There are less ticky-tack fouls called and then I would say up to this point I've really appreciated even the ones that have been missed, which we've had a handful the past couple of weeks. It's going to happen. I've appreciated the confidence and the officiating coordinator. Everybody has been upfront about it and open so we've had great dialogue with them. It has been different but I prefer how we've done it or how we're currently doing it in our league.”
“I don't think I got fined there,” Riley added. “We'll see.”
Opinions on officiating and style of play can vary. The most easily measured adjustments were in air miles just to arrive at road games on time. Many of the B1G's campuses are not located next to airports that can handle the huge jets that haul a team's equipment. Thankfully, the USC football program has only two more big frequent flier mile opportunities before Bowl Season begins.
USC football's road to CFP Playoffs
The current 11th-ranked (AP Poll) USC Trojans are hurting but have a clear path to the 12-team CFP Playoffs. They may need a little help from Michigan to jump ahead of Ohio State. Quality wins over LSU and Wisconsin will go a long way to convince the CFP committee should USC handle business the rest of the way. Looking forward, slip-ups against Rutgers (10/25) or Nebraska (11/16) would not necessarily be fatal to the cause. The margin for error would be down to zero for any two-loss team though.
USC has a long trip to Maryland (10/19) after a shorter trip to Minnesota (10/5) this weekend. A visit from seventh-ranked Penn State (10/12) is the proving ground. Win and a jump into the Top 10 is all but assured. The pathway to the postseason games that matter will be clear. A loss makes the old West Coast trips to Washington (11/2) and UCLA (11/23) must-win situations. The same goes for the season finale at home versus 14th-ranked Notre Dame.
