Lincoln Riley: Being in Big Ten has already increased the reach of USC's program

USC‘s entrance into the Big Ten opens up new opportunities the Trojans wouldn’t have had in the Big Ten when it comes to matchup consistency, recruiting and national exposure.

It hasn’t been a month since the program joined their new conference. However, Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley explained why their expansion into the Big Ten is already paying off.

“Playing the schedule that we’re gonna play now, I think it opens you up in some regions,” Riley said. “I mean, you can even tell before we’ve played a snap. In the last year, we’ve signed kids from Minnesota, we signed kids kids from Michigan. You can already feel that interest in [the recruits] before this officially starts.

“USC has always been a national brand and always will be, but but I think maybe even more access there than before. … It goes two ways. You’re building for the teams that you’re gonna play and what you feel like it’s gonna take to win those games you’re in and out of your conference. But then it’s also a bigger picture for us. We’re building to be a in the national championship race every single year. That’s, that’s what you’ve come to USC for.”

At USC, he turned a floundering team that had missed out on a bowl game in three of its past four seasons into a 10-win team overnight. Thanks to another Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Caleb Williams, Riley’s success continued with him at USC.

‘We didn’t take over [a program] that was a national championship contender and just walk into it,” Riley continued. “This was a revamp, and this has been a rebuild from a roster standpoint. Some of this would have been happening, whether we were in the Pac-12 or if this change would have happened, but certainly we’ve got an idea of who we’re playing and and are making the adjustments necessary.”

In their first season in the Big Ten, USC will start at the top by facing reigning national champions Michigan to open conference play. Matchups against Wisconsin, Penn State and Nebraska, along with Washington and UCLA will be pivotal in the Trojans first season navigating these new waters.

Despite an eight-win season a year ago, high expectations in-house and within the fanbase remain in place as the Trojans adjust to life in the Big Ten. That same confidence may not carry over to a national audience, however. The Trojans win total in Vegas was set at 7.5 wins, meaning the books don’t expect much of an improvement for Riley’s 2024 USC football team.

Riley and USC will look to prove those oddsmakers wrong beginning on Sept. 1, where they’re given a national stage to earn a statement victory over LSU during Week 1. However, Trojans are 6.5-point underdogs just over six weeks out from opening kickoff.