O/NSO: The 2024 USC transition edition

The Obvious: When CFP National Champion Michigan soundly defeated Washington 34-13 on Monday night in the College Football Playoffs National Championship, it officially closed the books on the 2023 season and reset the entire field for the 2024 season, which will be like no other – especially for the USC Trojans. The Not So Obvious: The operative word for college and USC football is “transition.” So much is changing, from the expanded playoffs to new super Big Ten and SEC conferences, the sunset of the Pac-12 Conference as we know it, the impact of the transfer portal and high school recruiting, head coaching changes or retirements, and it all affects Lincoln Riley’s program as it heads into its third season.