Matt Leinart gives his expectations for USC in 2022

Former USC quarterback Matt Leinart recently joined The Herd with Colin Cowherd — hosted this week by Joy Taylor — to talk at length about the upcoming college football season. Specifically, he expressed high hopes for his Alma Mater Trojans in year one under Lincoln Riley, especially given their roster moves since Riley took over.

During his appearance on The Herd, Taylor asked Leinart what his expectations for USC were ahead of this season. Leinart did not hold back, saying the sky was the limit even in year one of a new coaching era. Here was his full response to Taylor:

“I expect them to be really good. I spent a lot of time there [this] spring, went to the spring game. Obviously, close with Lincoln and the staff. Look, he’s done a great job. Obviously, great transfers: Caleb Williams was huge, Jordan Addison was huge. He’s got some key guys on the defensive side of the ball. It reminds me a lot of what Mel Tucker did last year and even Chip Kelly at UCLA. You gotta build through the transfer portal when you take over a roster that — listen, they didn’t have a strong roster. And [Riley] has done that so far.

“I definitely think they will be good enough to compete for a Pac-12 Championship. There’s no doubt. And listen, you win a conference, you maybe have a chance to maybe make the College Football Playoff. You look at the schedule: Utah will be tough, Notre Dame will be tough. There’s a lot a lot of wins they should have on that schedule.”

Leinart thinks his former team can make a run all the way to the CFP.

Leinart picks USC, Texas A&M as CFP dark horses

As part of his appearance, Taylor also asked Matt Leinart which teams could make a surprise run to the CFP.

“I think Texas A&M has a shot,” said Leinart. “They had a great year last year. But Jimbo’s done an unbelievable job there.”

“I think USC has a shot to get to the Playoff, which would be a surprise.” He then added: “But it’s so early, it’s so early to tell. I just can’t wait, man. We’re like two months away.”

There’s also the fact that the Trojans are still in the Pac-12, a notoriously weak football league as of late. So there’s a real chance they face little resistance and can finish with a good enough record to make the four-team playoff in December.