IMHO Sunday: Riley’s heroes must now prove they can slay the upcoming Pac-12 dragons 

In my humble opinion, cardinal and gold thoughts on what I see, what I hear, and what I think from Los Angeles. Reality check: As they say, if you want to be the hero, you have to slay the dragon. You can’t be the hero if you don’t slay the dragon. If you think of Lincoln Riley’s 2022 USC Trojans as the potential hero, then you must also see upcoming games with Washington State and at Utah the next two weeks respectively, as two of the dreaded Pac-12 dragons. Reality check – Part 2: Yes, there will be other dragons to slay down the November road - at UCLA and Notre Dame - but for the present, those fire breathing Cougars and Utes are the clear and present danger. However, after watching the No. 6 Trojans struggle to put ASU away – especially on defense – those upcoming dragons could be lethal to the Trojans’ title hopes both conference and nationally.