On3 Roundtable: USC under pressure to make CFP next season

USC had a gangbusters first season under Lincoln Riley, making the Pac 12 title game and getting to the cusp of College Football Playoff contention. With a Heisman winner coming back at quarterback in Caleb Williams and more upgrades to the defensive talent, the Trojans are locked and loaded to compete for a CFP berth this season.

In an On3 Roundtable, WeAreSC’s Scott Schrader said it would certainly be a disappointment if the Trojans missed out on CFP in Year 2 under Riley. And while fans would surely be disappointed, Schrader said he expects the USC head coach would be upset by falling short of the College Football Playoff, too.

“So I would say absolutely there’s pressure on them to make the playoffs. It would be extremely disappointing to the fanbase and to Lincoln Riley if they didn’t,” Schrader said to On3’s J.D. PicKell.

One of the biggest reasons it would be a disappointment is the opportunity cost for USC this season. Williams is a near certainty to head to the 2024 NFL Draft, where he could likely be the No. 1 overall pick. Riley has a great track record of recruiting and developing quarterbacks, but missing a chance to play for a national championship with a quarterback as talented as Williams is hard to imagine. USC might have more chances down the line, but missing out on maximizing Williams and this window to win is big for the Trojans.

And as it stands, the Trojans are loading up the defense with more transfers and fine tuning the offensive personnel around Williams to hopefully get over the CFP hump in 2023.

Schrader does think it can happen, though. He wasn’t sure Riley was going to meet his own lofty expectations for USC in Year 1. The coach surpassed them, leading the Trojans to a Pac 12 title game berth. The expectations have only grown around the Trojans since Riley was hired.

With sights set on winning the league and contending for a national championship, Schrader knows the pressure is on for USC to make it in the College Football Playoff field in 2023.

“Yeah, there has to be pressure to at least make the playoffs this year, with it being Caleb Williams final season. They’ve added a lot of roster upgrades defensively,” Schrader said. “And I just think that, personally, I think Lincoln Riley came in and his expectations, I thought he was completely unrealistic with what he expected for this past season. And he met those during the regular season.”