Lincoln Riley reveals what USC is focused on entering high stakes Pac-12 title game

While some are getting ahead of themselves and looking beyond this weekend’s conference championship games, USC head coach Lincoln Riley is not. Riley has a vision for his Trojans, and for them to achieve those goals, their vision has to line up with their head coaches. So as USC gears up to take on the only team to beat them this season, Utah, their headman revealed what his Trojans will be focused on entering high stakes Pac-12 title game.

“It’s just football. Everybody sees that now, but in reality, all the games have had this much at stake on them. Because if you don’t win those, then you’re not playing in this one. You’re at home getting ready to go out recruiting and players aren’t practicing like 99 percent of the other teams out there. So privileged to be able to practice right now and to have a game this week. We’ve progressed as a team, and I think we will continue to do it. But it’s just playing ball, and it’s what this team enjoys to do. We’ve got better, and we need to take those steps again this week.

Riley’s point is simple, approach each game as a football game and do not focus solely on what’s at stake. Every weekend when you’re at a program as prestigious as USC, winning is an expected part of the culture. with college football, there’s no need to worry about next weekend when a loss this weekend can derail your entire season. And with the College Football Playoffs insight for USC, that’s exactly what Riley is attempting to avoid in the Pac-12 championship game, an upset.

USC Trojans are No. 4 in Newest CFP Rankings

For the first time since the College Football Playoff was instituted ahead of the 2014 season, the USC Trojans are a top-four team in the CFP rankings. USC is the No. 4 team in the rankings this week, up two spots from its perch at No. 6 last week.

It’s a remarkable accomplishment for a program one year removed from a 4-8 record.

Head coach Lincoln Riley has done a phenomenal job in just one year of injecting talent into the roster, accountability into the culture and belief into the fan base. Now the Trojans are back among the nation’s elite programs. And USC looks very much like they are one win away from a spot in the playoff.

There won’t be any celebrations about the No. 4 ranking inside the John McKay Center. Riley dismissed the first rankings as unimportant and he would likely say the same thing about these. USC was No. 9 in the first CFP rankings this year. Riley said the teams that continue to find ways down the stretch are the teams that find themselves in the final rankings. And that one is the only one that matters.

So, there is still the very big matter of winning the Pac-12 Championship Game this Friday night against Utah.