Joel Klatt breaks down what success looks like for Lincoln Riley, USC in 2024

FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt broke down what a successful season is for 10 of the most interesting teams in the country. His assessment of USC boiled down to a simple answer.

“I think that USC needs to make the playoff for me to think that they had a good, quality year,” Klatt said Monday on his show.

Klatt believes the Trojans can accomplish that feat in 2024, their first season in the Big Ten.

“People have a short memory with Lincoln Riley, and I know it’s partly because of the exit from Oklahoma, but let’s not forget that this guy is an offensive genius,” Klatt said. “Now, has the defense always come up short? Yes, that’s absolutely the case.

“But when I go back to his head coaching era, this is his offense’s rank in yards per play since 2017: first, first, first, 11th, sixth, third, third. You really think they’re going to take a step back because Caleb Williams is playing for the Chicago Bears? No.”

Klatt went on to discuss how new starting quarterback Miller Moss could be a great fit for USC’s offensive system — not that Moss will outperform Williams, a generational Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick, but that Moss will likely play within the lines more, which could benefit the system.

Moss will have ample offensive weapons, too. Speedy wide receiver and return man Zachariah Branch headlines that list, not to mention Mississippi State transfer running back Woody Marks, who could give the backfield a big lift.

Klatt, of course, conceded that the Trojans need to be better on defense. He acknowledged it’s a broken record. That said, he’s optimistic about USC on that side of the ball, in large part because of the coordinator change. Former UCLA DC and longtime NFL assistant D’Anton Lynn is now running the ship for the USC defense. Last year, Lynn took UCLA from 87th to 10th in total defense.

Much like Oklahoma and Texas transitioning to the SEC this year, USC is about to embark on a pivotal first season in a new conference of its own. Klatt talked about how USC is a “proud program” that likes to feel dominant in its league.

Klatt emphasized that the Trojans will have to announce their presence with authority in the Big Ten. They have an opportunity to do so on Sept. 21 when they go to Ann Arbor and face No. 9 Michigan.

That’s one of three games Klatt highlighted on USC’s schedule. The others are the Trojans’ season opener, a neutral-site game against LSU in Las Vegas, and an Oct. 12 home game versus Penn State. Klatt believes the Trojans have to win at least one of those three marquee matchups.

Because the Trojans are only No. 23 in the preseason AP Top 25, Klatt thinks they need to win 10 games to end up the College Football Playoff.

“I believe that they’ve got to win nine football games before they play Notre Dame,” Klatt said, referencing USC’s regular season finale versus the Fighting Irish. “If they do that, then win and in for USC. That means that they have got to take care of business in all the games that you would think that they were going to be favored in and win one of the following three: LSU, Michigan or Penn State.”

So, according to Klatt, USC needs at least 10 wins to make the CFP — and a CFP appearance to have a successful season in 2024.