The USC Trojans have to deal with life after Caleb Williams. For the past two years, the quarterback position has been set in stone. Unfortunately, the program was not able to capitalize on having Williams. They struggled last season behind one of the worst defenses in college football. As the team moves to the Big Ten conference, there are many questions surrounding the program.
Who Is The USC Trojans Starting Quarterback?
This is the most pressing question for the USC Trojans. For many programs, there is an underclassman waiting in the wings. This is not the case with USC. They were connected to many of the top names in the transfer portal, but all of them chose to go elsewhere. It left a huge void on the Trojans’ roster. However, the bowl game at the end of the year gave some hope.
With Caleb Williams deciding to sit, sophomore Miller Moss took the field in the Holiday Bowl and had a performance for the ages. He threw for 372 yards and six touchdowns in a 42-28 win. It is his job to lose. We shall see if that was a one-hit wonder performance or the sign of things to come.
Why Are The USC Trojans Struggling To Recruit?
Recruiting players to the program has never been an issue for the USC Trojans. They go into next year with the 18th-ranked recruiting class but fifth in the Big Ten. If they are going to make a College Football Playoff run next season, they have to first beat their own conference. While recruiting rankings mean nothing on the field, they do give us a good indicator of how much talent there is to replenish what was lost.
Lincoln Riley has been taking some heat for his lack of success in the program. It was huge news when the USC Trojans pulled him away from Oklahoma, but the Sooners seem to be doing just fine without him. Riley is one of the best offensive minds in the game, but if the Trojans fall flat again, he could find himself in the hot seat.
Can The Defense Stop Anyone This Year?
Caleb Williams was great. The defense was atrocious. There was a Grand Canyon-sized chasm between the offense and the defense. Take a look at these rankings from last year.
Points/Game | Yards/Game | Points/Play | Yards/Play | 3rd Down Con. | Red Zone Scoring % | |
Offense Rank | #2 | #11 | #2 | #5 | #29 | #32 |
Defense Rank | #117 | #114 | #113 | #93 | #107 | #115 |
The offense did everything they could to win games but the defense hemmoraged points. Alex Grinch got canned, and Riley brought in former UCLA defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. This was one of the best hires of the offseason and has the potential to transform the group in one offseason. If the defense gets to even more middle of the pack, the USC Trojans could be hard to put away.
The USC Trojans have something to prove in 2024. While there are many questions, this team will not be a pushover by any means.
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Matt has been following sports since he was a kid. While football is his primary focus, Matt can talk about any sport anytime. He is a banker in Wisconsin and hosts two podcasts, Beers and Ears & Discontinued on Display.
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