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USC and LSU football can be considered each other's counterpart in many ways. They are both known for producing high-powered offenses and suspect defenses and will be doing their best to replace a star quarterback this season. Furthermore, each head coach is under substantial pressure to deliver.
The Trojans lured Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma to restore the program's past glory. Although Caleb Williams added the star power that Los Angeles demands, embarrassing losses and missed opportunities make it difficult for fans to look upon those two years with complete pride. Now, Riley will need to prove that he can survive in a defensively-minded Big Ten Conference after years of relying mainly on his powerful passing attack.
Brian Kelly finds himself in a similar adjustment period in Baton Rouge, as he tries to weather an expanded SEC. The two-time AP College Football Coach of the Year split from Notre Dame almost three years ago after a decade-plus in South Bend and joined the toughest conference in the country. While he also helped mold a Heisman Trophy winner in Jayden Daniels, the overall results are not yet what fans had initially envisioned.
And so, the paths of these two high-profile programs and coaches will collide on Sunday night in the Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic. Before this should-be exciting season opener, Riley is taking some time to look back on the first encounter he ever had with his Week 1 opponent.
“Lincoln Riley said while he was the OC at East Carolina he talked briefly to Brian Kelly about a position on his Notre Dame staff,” Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly should put on a show in Vegas
One has to go back about a decade to pinpoint the period of time being discussed. Riley was making a name for himself on the coaching circuit as a member of the Pirates, helping them earn a 10-win campaign in 2013. Kelly led the Fighting Irish to the national championship game in 2012. If you did not already know, the two did not end up working together.
Fast forward to 2024, and they are each two of the top-10 highest-paid head coaches in college football. But they are also among the most scrutinized.
Because of the new expanded playoff format, the season is not technically on the line for either USC or LSU in this forthcoming Allegiant Stadium clash. Fans know it is more complicated than that, however, given the challenges that lie ahead.
The Week 1 result might indicate which direction both teams are headed in this year. With the stakes being so high, there is little time to ponder what could have been. Riley should be grateful that he did not join Notre Dame's staff back in the day, as he will now not have to worry about Kelly knowing what is inside his bag of tricks.
That bag might have to be emptied if No. 23 USC is going to best No. 13 LSU this Sunday.
