This week on the Pac-12 Takeover is a season preview for the USC Trojans, a team that many consider one of the biggest wildcards in all of college football. Lincoln Riley arrives from Oklahoma after one of the worst seasons in recent memory for the Trojans, who went 4-8. There were some bright spots last season as far as standout players like Drake London and Drake Jackson, but the wheels really came off after a home loss to Stanford, which was followed by the firing of former Head Coach Clay Helton.

#fighton #usc #lincolnriley

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Head Coach Lincoln Riley has had the most aggressive approach of any head coach in the country when it comes to the transfer portal. The key additions that really stand out on offense are quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Mario Williams, who followed Riley west from Norman. And let’s not forget wide receiver Jordan Addison, who is fresh off a Biletnikoff award in 2021 as the nation’s most outstanding wide receiver. A couple other big names that come to Los Angeles from the portal on offense include running backs Travis Dye and Austin Jones, who stay in the Pac-12, as well as wide receiver Brenden Rice from Colorado. 

Everyone wants to focus on the crazy skill talent the Trojans have added, but what about defense and the trenches? Riley added a pair of SEC linebackers in Shane Lee and Romello Height. USC not only needed a bit of a roster overhaul, but a complete shift in culture, as players looked like a team without fight, and there certainly wasn’t much excitement from the fanbase, with half-empty stadiums becoming the norm in 2021.

I’m not full onboard the hype train for USC. They can be good, but it’s not going to be a college football playoff or even Pac-12 title season in year one of Lincoln Riley. The Pac-12 needs USC to be good, not only for the sake of the conference’s brand, but to create some parity with Utah and Oregon as the Pac-12’s giants. 

Schedule (8-4)
Rice W
@Stanford L
Fresno State W
@Oregon State W
Arizona State W
Washington State W
@Utah L
@Arizona W
Cal W
Colorado W
@UCLA L
Notre Dame L

USC football schedule 2022
USC football 2022
USC football 2022 season previews
USC vs. UCLA

Max Torres introduces himself and the P12 Takeover Pod