The USC Trojans, along with the UCLA Bruins, recently dropped bombshell announcements about leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten conference in 2024. Both the Trojans and the Bruins are two of the most iconic teams in the Pac-12, but will be bringing their talents to the dog-eat-dog world of the Big Ten.
It's a move that's only either going to be loved and hated by college football fans, but for USC legend LenDale White, he's definitely thrilled about it — and the fact that the Trojans have hired Lincoln Riley as head coach, heading into the 2022 college football season.
“I definitely was surprised at first. I mean, we've been in the Pac-12 or Pac-10 forever. So I didn't see us moving, but when you talk about the financial aspect of it, it only makes sense. We are one of the big dog programs in the world. So even though we should be paid like it. I think it's gonna help our recruiting, it’s going to help with getting kids to come into the school. This is an exciting time. If you're a USC fan, you should be getting excited. You know, we got a new head coach in Lincoln Riley, we got Mike Bohn and they're doing a great job. This is a great time to be a Trojan.”
As for Lincoln Riley, he's carrying huge expectations on his shoulders, given the way he made the offense of the Oklahoma Sooners look nearly unstoppable on several occasions last season. In the 2021 college football campaign, the Sooners, under Riley, averaged 36.0 points per game and were No. 1 in the nation with a 96.23 percent red-zone scoring success rate.
At USC, Riley will have five-star recruit Malachi Nelson to drive the team's attack that garnered 28.7 points per game in 2021 and aim to get the program back to a bowl game appearance for the first time since 2019.