IMHO Sunday: It’s still the bottom line

In my humble opinion, cardinal and gold thoughts on what I see, what I hear, and what I think from Los Angeles: The bottom line: We know it’s true, so let’s not ring around the Mulberry Bush. Lincoln Riley knows it, his staff knows it, and you all know it. In order for USC to rise to the next level of admiration, fawning, and rare air, the 2023 USC Trojans as a program at the very least need to win the Pac-12 title and make a major run for a national championship. Winning big is the bottom line in 2023. The bottom line – Part 2: Lincoln Riley, whose 2023 USC Trojans have been pre-ranked No. 6 in the country in the USA Today Coaches Poll, has done a masterful job in resurrecting a USC program from choking itself to death and has caught the attention of the locals and the national scene by going 11-3 in his first season. Despite the 11 wins in 2022, the Trojans dropped two games to conference champion Utah, the second loss in the Pac-12 title game, and it wasn’t pretty. Sure, a hamstring injury to Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams in the title game was a real killer, but Utah still won and played with the heart of a champion.