Notable injuries — USC: OUT: CB Prophet Brown (lower body), K Caden Chittenden (undisclosed); DB Alex Graham (undisclosed) QUESTIONABLE: DL Jahkeem Stewart (lower body, 50/50 chance will play)

Missouri State: OUT: TE Gary Clinton (leg); QUESTIONABLE: WR James BlackStrain (thumb)

Lincoln Riley is set to embark on another critical season at USC as he attempts to reset the program back on an upward trajectory after two consecutive disappointing seasons.

I believe USC is a seven- or eight-win team this season. This feels like the first year of a rebuild instead of Year 4.

You can blame that on NIL. You can also certainly put some of that blame on Riley and the coaching staff (which has been improved the last two years). You can blame some of that on USC’s past administrative decisions. But the truth is the roster lacks certainty at some really important spots (QB, OL, CB) and doesn’t have great depth at others (LB, WR). There are too many landmines (ND, ORE, ILL, NEB, MICH, IOWA, UCLA) for an imperfect roster to navigate.

What’s at stake? USC has to make a statement from beginning to end in this first game if it wants to be taken seriously for the rest of the season. The Trojans need to flaunt all-around depth and score in a variety of ways to prove that Jayden Maiava is a reliable quarterback with sufficient poise to lead this team through a precarious season of high expectations.

Maiava is talented and has a strong arm, but his poor decision-making and interceptions left a lot to be desired in his four starts (three wins) last season. He has received heaps of praise for his offseason training and leadership development.

Missouri State has nothing to lose and will play like it. The Bears are new to the FBS and getting a team like USC on the schedule is a win in itself. It gives them increased revenue, exposure on national television and the opportunity to show their product in front of a swath of potential recruits.

Who’s better? USC will be the more talented, physically imposing team. So this game will allow the coaching staff to get a good look at any potential holes in the game plan. Although some players have solidified their place as starters, expect to see lots of faces throughout all four quarters as the coaches figure out the best combination of players to put on the field. As last season demonstrated, if the season goes sideways, then all bets are off regarding USC’s QB starter down the line. But for today’s game, five-star freshman Husan Longstreet won’t be expected to play unless in mop-up duty.

Matchups to watch: USC’s offensive line vs. Missouri State’s front four. The O-line is one of the weakest spots on the field for the Trojans and could give up some losses if the Bears see mistakes to take advantage of. Missouri State has transfers from Oregon State and Penn State on the edge in 6-6, 275-pound Davon Townley and 6-4, 255-pound D.J. Wesolak, who have played in environments like the Coliseum before.

USC OLs Amos Talalele (75), Alani Noa and unexpected new OC starter Kilian O’Connor (who originally walked on) warm up before a game last season.  “I came here to be a player,” O’Connor said. “I didn’t come here just to be a bag holder.”(Gina Ferazzi / LAT)

USC can’t really afford any injuries along the line either. Except for OC J’Onre Reed (25 game starter from Syracuse via transfer portal), the reserves are very inexperienced. One of the underplayed storylines last season was that USC essentially missed no offensive line starts to injury, which is very rare and unlikely to happen two years in a row.

Trojan RBs, WRs & LBs:

I went to two of USC’s three open practices during training camp — one of which was an open scrimmage. I really, really like the running backs. Riley seems to like them as well. “I’ll be disappointed if it’s not the best (running back) room that we’ve had since we’ve been at SC,” he said during his Trojans Live appearance on Monday.

USC has two top-flight receivers in Ja’Kobi Lane (suffered a broken foot a few months ago) and Makai Lemon, but I’ve been concerned about where the playmaking will come from the position after those two.

The program released its depth chart for the season opener last night, and four-star freshman Tanook Hines (10.4 speed) was listed as a starting receiver alongside Lane and Lemon.

Redshirt freshman linebacker Jadyn Walker stood out during practices. I like USC’s two starting linebackers — Desman Stephens II and Eric Gentry, who is a stud and has displayed his playmaking over the past three years. But Gentry has been banged up a lot in his USC career, and linebacker is a naturally violent position. The staff needs Walker to emerge there to provide some depth.

USC wins if: Missouri State’s Jacob Clark was one of the best quarterbacks in the FCS (3,604 yds and 26 TDs with six picks last season) and has previous experience in FBS football after three seasons at Minnesota.  Clark is entering his seventh year of college football (injuries and the COVID pandemic extended his eligibility).

The Trojans’ starting defense will need to force Clark to use his arm, painting him into tight corners and tough decisions. He’s not mobile. If Clark does manage to get passes off, USC’s new secondary has the chance to live up to some strong pre-season hype.

“To me, it all starts with the quarterback,” Riley said. “He’s a really good player. He’s played a lot of ball, impressive guy. They’ve got a good system. They challenge you. They’ve been very efficient and explosive offensively. Doing a good job against him will be a huge key to the game.”

San Jose State transfer DJ Harvey and DeCarlos Nicholson will start at cornerback, a position that featured some of the most heated competition at USC during training camp.

“We want to dominate,” Nicholson said. “Dominate, play our best game, do our job. Force defense, get turnovers. Play fast, play physical, dominate the game and give people what they want to see.”