O/NSO: No. 6 USC vs San Jose State edition ­

The Obvious: After months of high anticipation, optimism, and a sense of mission, the No. 6 USC Trojans will embark on what they hope will be a combination of torrid run and divine destiny to a 2023 conference and national championship, beginning on Saturday by hosting the unranked San Jose State Spartans in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at 5 p.m. PT. The Not So Obvious: Yes, the long wait is over, but the pressure to succeed while having the best player in college football, USC’s All-America quarterback Caleb Williams, still playing for the cardinal and gold, is now at hand. If a reconstituted defense can at least be serviceable, the Men of Troy have shot at some pretty big achievements. This is head coach Lincoln Riley’s best shot in his brief USC coaching tenure to make a major run at the CFP playoffs, but it won’t be easy, especially in the second half of an unbalanced schedule.