Pac-12 football: Ranking the 2022 schedules; UCLA has easiest in the conference
USC has a near-perfect schedule to begin the Lincoln Riley era and a potential launching pad for program’s return to relevance
Jon Wilner (OCRegister.com) — The Pac-12 last week announced two additional components to the 2022 football schedule, revealing the kickoff times for early-season games and the finalized lineup of weeknight matchups.
For the purposes of this exercise, the latter of the two disclosures was more significant: No assessment of schedule strength is complete without accounting for the logistics of Thursday and Friday games.
Overall, the Pac-12 has 11 dates with Power Five opponents, including Notre Dame (three games), Georgia, Florida and Michigan State.
Three teams won’t play any non-conference road games.
One team doesn’t leave home until October.
Here we go, with schedules ranked from most to least difficult …
1. Colorado
Home games (six): TCU (Friday), UCLA, Cal, Arizona State, Oregon, Utah
Road games (six): Air Force, Minnesota, Arizona, Oregon State, USC (Friday), Washington
Pac-12 misses: Stanford and Washington State
Notable nugget: The Buffs face Oregon, USC, Washington and Utah in succession in November. Yikes.
Comment: Every aspect of CU’s schedule is akin to a Category 5 storm, from the absence of non-conference cupcakes to the cross-division misses to the brutal finishing stretch. All this for a team that seemingly would struggle with an average schedule.
2. Stanford
Home games (six): Colgate, BYU, USC, Oregon State, Arizona State, Washington State
Road games (six): Notre Dame, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Cal, UCLA
Pac-12 misses: Arizona and Colorado
Notable nugget: Stanford is the only team with a September bye (Week Three), which forces the Cardinal to play 10 weeks in a row. Good luck with that.
Comment: We considered ranking this lineup No. 1, but at least the Cardinal has one cupcake (Colgate). The road schedule is comically difficult (per usual in even years).
3. Oregon
Home games (six): BYU, Eastern Washington, Stanford, UCLA, Washington, Utah
Road/neutral games (six): Georgia (neutral), Washington State, Arizona, Cal, Colorado, Oregon State
Pac-12 misses: USC and ASU
Notable nugget: The Washington game (Nov. 12) will be played later in the season than any year since 2002 (Nov. 16).
Comment: Our assessment of the schedule starts with the opener against the defending champions, but all of Oregon’s losses to Stanford and derailments in the desert serve to increase the degree of difficulty.
4. Arizona
Home games (seven): Mississippi State, North Dakota State, Colorado, USC, Oregon, WSU, ASU (Friday)
Road games (five): San Diego State, Cal, Washington, Utah, UCLA
Pac-12 misses: Stanford and Oregon State
Notable nugget: NDSU has won nine of the past 11 FCS national titles. Consider that game a toss-up.
Comment: This stands as Arizona’s toughest schedule in years with the wrong cross-division misses and no non-conference cupcakes. (Then again, after last season, can anyone be considered a cupcake for the Cats?)
5. Utah
Home games (six): Southern Utah, San Diego State, Oregon State, USC, Arizona, Stanford
Road games (six): Florida, Arizona State, UCLA, Washington State (Thursday), Oregon, Colorado
Pac-12 misses: Washington and Cal
Notable nugget: The WSU duel (Oct. 27) will be the Pac-12’s first conference game on a Thursday since Stanford-UCLA in the 2019 season.
Comment: The perfect schedule for a playoff contender, with just enough challenges to satisfy the selection committee but no nasty twists or turns and a revenge game (SDSU) in what might otherwise be a trap situation. The Utes are a 1.5-point favorite at Florida, by the way.
6. Arizona State
Home games (six): NAU (Thursday), Eastern Michigan, Utah, Washington, UCLA, Oregon State
Road games (six): Oklahoma State, Colorado, Stanford, Washington State, USC, Arizona (Friday)
Pac-12 misses: Cal and Oregon
Notable nugget: ASU is the only team that plays four of its final six games on the road.
Comment: Circumstances make the schedule more difficult than it might seem initially: The Sun Devils and their rebuilt roster have three early dates with teams (Oklahoma State, Utah and USC) that should be in the top 15 of the AP preseason poll.
7. Washington State
Home games (seven): Idaho, Colorado State, Oregon, Cal, Utah (Thursday), Arizona State, Washington
Road games (five): Wisconsin, USC, Oregon State, Stanford, Arizona
Pac-12 misses: UCLA and Colorado
Notable nugget: The Cougars are the only team that opens conference play with two consecutive home games.
Comment: Nice to see a Power Five opponent on the schedule (for the first time since 2015), but it’s a manageable lineup overall, especially with OSU, Stanford and Arizona making up 75 percent of the conference road schedule.
8. Oregon State
Home games (seven): Boise State, Montana State, USC, Washington State, Colorado, Cal, Oregon
Road games (five): Fresno State, Utah, Stanford, Washington (Friday), Arizona State
Pac-12 misses: UCLA and Arizona
Notable nugget: The Beavers haven’t won a season opener since beating Weber State in 2015.
Comment: Boise State isn’t as daunting as it once was, but Fresno State will be a significant challenge in the Central Valley’s September heat. Add USC and Utah to the early-season schedule, and there is zero room for a slow start for a program that starts slow.
9. Cal
Home games (seven): UC Davis, UNLV, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA (Friday)
Road games (five): Notre Dame, Washington State, Colorado, USC, Oregon State
Pac-12 misses: Utah and ASU
Notable nugget: The Bears face Notre Dame for the first time since 1967 and have not scored more than eight points against the Irish in any of the four previous meetings.
Comment: Combine two non-conference cupcakes with a favorable lineup of conference home games and a critical cross-division miss (Utah), and this schedule should support a postseason push.
10. USC
Home games (seven): Rice, Fresno State, Notre Dame, Arizona State, Washington State, Cal, Colorado (Friday)
Road games (five): Stanford, Oregon State, Utah, Arizona, UCLA
Pac-12 misses: Oregon and Washington
Notable: USC, UCLA and Washington are the only teams that play all three non-conference games at home.
Comment: A near-perfect schedule to begin the Lincoln Riley era. We wouldn’t call the lineup easy, but the order and locations (e.g., no back-to-back road games) create a potential launching pad for USC’s return to relevance.
11. Washington
Home games (seven): Kent State, Portland State, Michigan State, Stanford, Arizona, Oregon State (Friday), Colorado
Road games (five): UCLA (Friday), Arizona State, Cal, Oregon, Washington State
Pac-12 misses: USC and Utah
Notable nugget: Washington doesn’t play its first road game until Oct. 1 (at UCLA)
Comment: Sure, Michigan State poses a first-rate challenge, and the conference road lineup is difficult and there are two Friday games. But the key to our assessment of UW’s schedule is the absence of USC and Utah. Kalen DeBoer couldn’t have asked for more.
12. UCLA
Home games (eight): Bowling Green, Alabama State, South Alabama, Washington (Friday), Utah, Stanford, Arizona, USC
Road games (four): Colorado, Oregon, Arizona State, Cal (Friday)
Pac-12 misses: Oregon State and Washington State
Notable nugget: UCLA was supposed to visit Michigan in the fall, but the Wolverines canceled the home-and-home series — and reportedly paid the Bruins $1.5 million to void the contract.
Comment: With three non-conference cupcakes and eight home games, including USC and Utah, the schedule should allow Chip Kelly to build on his 2021 momentum.
ocregister.com
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The Deed is Done. Mike Bohn appears intent on fully resurrecting USC baseball: Bohn — “We are thankful to Jason (Gill) for his three years of service to our university and baseball program, Jason’s first season at USC was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and that created a difficult environment to navigate in the ensuing two years. We appreciate that Jason led us through those challenging circumstances. However, we ultimately determined it was in our shared best interest to part ways at this time. We wish Jason and his family all the best moving forward. “We believe in the promise… Read more »
IRVING, Texas (June 6, 2022) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today the names on the 2023 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, including 80 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 96 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks. Three Trojans made the 2023 ballot: 34 Trojan players have already been enshrined in the CFB HOF. Jeff Bregel, USC-Offensive Guard-Two-time consensus First Team All-American and a 1986 NFF National Scholar-Athlete…Two-time First Team All-Pac-10 selection, leading USC to the 1984 conference title and a Rose Bowl victory…Earned… Read more »
Stewart Mandel (The Athletic) — “I’d currently divide the preseason landscape into four tiers.
“Alabama is Tier 1.
“Ohio State and Georgia are Tier 2.
“Tier 3 is teams like Utah, Michigan, Michigan State and Baylor that were pretty good in 2021 but have to replace some big names.
“And Tier 4 encompasses the likes of Texas A&M, Notre Dame, USC, Oregon and Ole Miss — complete wild cards due to a coaching change, mass personnel turnover or, in A&M’s case, the fact they’re going to be relying heavily on freshmen.
“It should make for a fun, topsy-turvy season.”
theathletic.com
Rivals 2023 3-star, 6-foot-5, 335-pound NG Amos Talalele of Santa Clara, stayed home and committed to CAL earlier today after visiting Berkeley over offers from USC, UTAH and UW, among others.
How dangerous is Lincoln Riley at USC? “If you’re in the camp of thinking that Riley is going to lead the Trojans to a College Football Playoff berth in the next few years, I’m with you. USC has a ton of talent on its roster and added quarterback Caleb Williams into the mix. It’s always nice to have one of the best young quarterbacks in the sport. But can Riley make USC sexy enough to dominate Southern California and recruit nationally? “There was a massive influx of talent into the program — both at the end of the 2022 class and via the… Read more »
One of the reasons LR didn’t win a National Championship at Oklahoma, and he had chances to, was not having a defense that could shut a good opponent down when it had to. LR has made it clear he intends to build a great defense here at USC and understands to win it all, you must play good defense. It will take a few years time to build a great defense. Sure his offensive mind attracts offensive skilled players and all but the better defensive players are not going Portal as well. I say by LR’s 3rd season we should… Read more »
I know I’m in the minority big-time here, but I’m not concerned about USC’s new defense. It may never be “great” under LR’s regime at USC. But for some reason, I think it’s gonna be good enough to win at the highest levels. And I do predict that LR will win at least one NC at USC.
I think after this next season the portal will light up with O Linemen and defensive players wanting to come to SC. The defense will depend though on Grinch’s rep as a coach. If they can somehow make the playoffs in this coming season even if they get beat they will attract players on defense. I know I’m saying a lot thinking a playoff spot this next season but it is not out of the realm of possibility.
The USC men’s basketball team, fresh off a school record-tying season for wins in 2022, will begin a home-and-home series with perennial Southeastern Conference power Auburn on Dec. 18, 2022 at the Galen Center, it was announced today (June 3). The Trojans will then make a trip to face the Tigers at the Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala. in December of 2023. The 2021-22 Trojans tied the school single-season wins record by going 26-8, finishing third in the Pac-12 and advancing to the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The 2022-23 Trojans will be led by a strong returning core of guards Boogie Ellis… Read more »
BREAKING: USC intends to fire head baseball coach Jason Gill Shotgun Spratling (USCFootball.com) — “USC intends to part ways with head baseball coach Jason Gill after three seasons, multiple sources have informed USCfootball.com in conjunction with D1Baseball. Gill has a 60-59 overall record with the Trojans, including a 21-39 mark in Pac-12 play… “The Trojans are still seeking just their second postseason berth since 2005. “There are several directions USC could look for Gill’s replacement starting with UC Santa Barbara’s Andrew Checketts, who was close to a deal the last time the job was open before ultimately pulling his name out of the… Read more »
Shoot for the moon Mike Bohn! 🤑✌
It’ll be interesting to see who actually wants the USC job. The program has been so bad for so long, Long Beach State, CSF and UCLA all have seriously better reps over the last 20 years. So does STAN by a mile (crushed USC 41-9 over three games to end the season). Then you have us dinosaurs who still remember the incomparable ghost of Dedeaux in the ’60s/70s, followed by Gillespie. If you were a fantastic baseball coach, would you want the USC job, especially since the best players skip college and go to the minors with their big paychecks?… Read more »
The NCAA Baseball Tournament currently going on looks like fertile ground to get a very good coach. As soon as Bohn drops the hammer on Gill his phone will light up with agents of coaches. If Bohn can get LR to come and resurrect USC football, I’m sure he can put together a package for a great hire to do the same for USC baseball. I agree NILs sure has to be in the mix as well.
“There are several directions USC could look for Gill’s replacement starting with UC Santa Barbara’s Andrew Checketts, who was close to a deal the last time the job was open before ultimately pulling his name out of the mix. Checketts has created a powerhouse in the Big West over the last decade. The Gauchos recently locked up another 40-win season (five in the last seven years) and their second Big West title under Checketts — UCSB hadn’t won one in 33 years before Checketts’ first in 2019…”
247sports.com
If Checketts was smart enough not to want to work for Lynn Swann, he’s got my vote!
I wonder how the autograph biz is working out for Swann? Haven’t heard a peep out of the great Trojan WR since Carol Folt unhitched him as USC’s AD on Sept. 9, 2019. For some reason, it feels to me like he’s been gone longer. So much has happened at USC lately.
Really hope this is true. Gill stinks. This last season was such an embarrassment, and there is no reason SC can’t field a team worthy of post season play every year. I don’t know if another ” Lincoln Riley” hire is out there, but there are plenty of quality candidates out there. SC baseball has been so bad for so long, time to get real, and hire a proven winner.
Jon Wilner slots the top five teams in the Pac-12 as he sees them now:
Tier 1: Utah and USC
Tier 1A: Oregon
Tier 2: Washington State and UCLA
Conference record, not division affiliation, will determine which teams meet for the championship.
JonWilner/OCRegister.com
I really liked the first part of the article with Wilner’s view of the possible future of collegiate football. He thinks about 35 teams will form a mini-NFL. The rest will simply play on a lower level, more resembling D2 or so. But, he thinks it is about 10 years away. He also thinks that when the shift occurs, Cal and Stanford may drop major football. I would not be surprised if UCLA dropped it as well. If I were Condie Rice, I would be preparing for that shift, which means David Shaw stays in place. I never thought Stanford… Read more »
USC’s Jelling Fast “With such a mix of different players from different schools and backgrounds, you’d think there’d be a rift amidst the changing of the USC guard. Instead, this team has seemed to gel together very early on. For Lincoln Riley, it’s the indication of a great team following behind him. “Although those connected to Riley are helping to bring his style from OU, those who remained from Clay Helton’s tenure have welcomed the newcomers to the City of Angels. “(They’ve) made it easier for guys to come into the program,” Riley said. “Whether it’s a Mario or a… Read more »
Everybody getting along new and old was one of the 2 issues I thought would hold this team back. The other will be everybody executing on the field as one. I think Riley is showing a lot of humility here. It is his people skills that have separated who should stay, who should go and who should come in and build a comradery in the locker room. The hard part is done now it is hard work and practice. I can’t help but have high expectations. We have been used to such mediocrity these past 5-6 years we have lost… Read more »
Weren’t most of the players that sat out the last game told to hit the road? I think most of the players loyal to the Cat are not on the roster anymore. This shows true leadership by the staff and it immediately created a whole new culture at USC.
I know everyone does it now using various reasons why, but scheduling easy wins just doesn’t do much for a fan unless he/she gets excited watching a boring game where the 1st string players are on the bench after the route is on and the playcalling leaves out the better plays? And what is accomplished for the players who need to work on their game playing slower, less skilled opponents? If & when the Power 5 conferences split from the NCAA division 1, maybe we will see schedules where teams have to earn their victories at a true level. Of… Read more »
COLGATE, also referred to as a “Little Ivy”, opened last season at BC, losing 51-0.
Now STAN’s gonna skate against the Raiders on Sept. 3, the week before the 2022 USC game, also in Palo Alto.
These new, revenge-minded/well-coached Trojans are gonna make STAN wish they had scheduled a much more competitive tune-up. JMHO.
Athlon’s Pac-12 Football 2022 All-Conference Team An important note on the all-conference teams: These are based on how players will perform in 2022. Career statistics and awards matter in the evaluation, but choosing players for the 2022 all-conference team is largely based on predicting and projecting the best for the upcoming year. Also, team strength does not play a role in selections. These are the best individual players at each position in the league for ’22. First-Team Offense QB Caleb Williams, USC RB Zach Charbonnet, UCLA RB Tavion Thomas, Utah RB/AP Travis Dye, USC WR Jordan Addison, USC WR Jacob Cowing, Arizona TE Brant Kuithe, Utah C Alex Forsyth,… Read more »
This projected All League team shows why we need to put the brakes on the 2022 Trojans as being a top 5 team. Notice only ONE D player on the first or second team. And, look at the second team Offense OL choices – dominated by Oregon State. And, we play our 4th game at Corvallis. I know everyone keeps telling me that the O will simply outscore our opponents, that D only needs two stops a game. Last year’s tOSU showed that is simply not true. That O was probably better than the 2022 Trojan O. And it lost… Read more »
I like your thinking. On teams that can grind out yardage like OSU, ND and “at” Stanford who can work the clock away from opposing offenses, these will be close hard games vs. USC unless our defense is or becomes better than what the prognosticators believe. I am hoping our DL can keep blockers away from our talented LBs so they can be aggressive in making the timely needed plays.
I can’t believe you’re still pumping up STAN as some “very difficult game.” All signs point to them in a steep decline. I haven’t read one single positive article about the 2022 Cardinal football team. If anyone can find it, please link it. In the meantime, USC has outrecruited the entire CFB world big-time in the Portal. STAN will have absolutely no blueprint whatsoever on what to expect from USC’s new coaches and players. COLGATE won’t get them ready, that’s for sure. I’m much more concerned about ORE ST in Corvallis. The Beavers run hot and cold, but playing in… Read more »
I do respect David Shaw’s running game when he has a physical OL. That and passing to his offensive ends is how he likes to control the ball & the clock. You just know everyone will try to keep the ball away from LR’s offense as much as they can.
I LOVED David Shaw from 2011 – 2016. He was total nails during that period, and was winning Rose Bowls and kicking butt. But Shaw hasn’t had a ranked team since his 2017 outfit, which was #20. As far as Shaw’s current running games goes, his OL is in bad shape, and JR RB E.J. Smith (Emmit’s son) has been disappointing. STAN’s strength is its QB and passing game. I really don’t know anything about their defense, but nobody stands out. Shaw’s living off his past, having won more games than any other coach in the history of STAN football.… Read more »
Allen, Thanks for correcting me below on Trigg. I am certain that Epps would be shocked to learn his is now playing for MS. On this post, I did not say Stanford would be “very difficult”. I said “difficult”. And I think it will be. For whatever reason, Stanford always plays SC tough. Recently, Stanford has chosen to show up for a couple of games a year. Last year, it was SC and Oregon. I am fairly confident the game is Palo Alto will be a challenge. SC should win, but I would be surprised if it were the walk… Read more »
RJJ, I am agreeing with you on all three games. Be prepared for Stanford, play your butt off against Fresno, and definitely bring your A game to Oregon State. I hope all three of those teams get ranked, it will boost USC’s standing as the season progresses. I do have my doubts about Stanford getting ranked though.
I don’t think any of USC’s games are gonna be “walks in the park”, except RICE. The rest of the schedule has some super challenges for this very special USC team, which is why I think USC loses two, maybe even three reg season games. I’m really interested in seeing USC take on a more youthful, revamped ARIZ in Tucson, and then the subservient Bruins in the Rose Bowl. That one should really be a spectacle IMO! Maybe one of those all-time great rivalry games. Actually, the more I look at USC’s schedule, the more I like it. Would love… Read more »
Allen, I also really like the schedule. If this team is going to compete nationally, it needs to beat Oregon State in Corvallis, which is going to be a real challenge particularly given the weakest part of SC is its run D, which is a strength for the Beavers. I think the Stanford game is great prep, which will be followed by an even better Fresno State team. These two games will push the Trojans. If they do not show up ready to play tough and disciplined football those games, they will lose. As you said, Colgate will not prepare… Read more »
I’ve been thinking more and more that ORE ST in Corvallis will be one of USC’s four toughest games, the other three being UTAH, ND and UCLA. That leaves a lot of other great match-ups for USC which will still put the new USC football culture to the test. It’s so fun to be looking forward to a USC season where you know USC will be prepared to play tough, fast, creatively and at its best when the chips are down in important games. LR has me convinced he’s going to win a NC at USC, setting him alongside Jones,… Read more »
Personally….I’am also at 9-3. Lots of new parts sometimes takes a little time to mesh.
9.5 seems to be the general consensus O/U on USC’s wins. Not bad for a team that only won four games last season. More important than overall wins/losses, I’d like to see USC at least split with ND and UCLA, and beat UTAH in SLC. I’m not sure if that’s in the cards, but this entire season seems to be such an emotionally-pegged crapshoot, maybe anything’s possible. Not long ago, only disaster seemed possible for USC football. What an amazing whirlwind comeback, without even playing a game. Now I’m predicting USC wins the Pac-12. Pretty bizarre, if I do say… Read more »
Yep……like a breeze just after a big storm in the middle west….The stench is gone. Thank heaven. I would be thrilled with a pac 12 championship…..I’d also be thrilled if the next year’s recruiting class (including transfers) adds 8 to 9 of the big, nasty, quick and strong OL/DL rated recruits carrying 4/5 stars……and I expect it to happen. As you know: Beating Utah at Utah is a tough one for a new coach. Could happen…..but they have a really good QB, coach and some nice players. Beating ND, with the level of talent that was left there is also… Read more »
More on NIL from Ryan Day…. From Cleveland.com: Day said the Buckeyes have been gathering information by talking to recruits and their families and getting a sense of what other schools might be discussing with NIL deals. He said he believes right now top-shelf quarterbacks require $2 million in NIL money. Major offensive tackles and edge rushers he said are about $1 million. If you can’t match that, other teams might have a chance to pluck key players from your roster. Day told the assembled potential NIL donors that every player on the team could go in the transfer portal… Read more »
Wow, college football sure changed it seems overnight. I guess with all the money they make they will be expected to be able to handle the negatives that come their way if they don’t perform as expected. Coaches can now cut players irregardless of their NIL, I hope these young kids can handle the pressure they have had put on them or taken upon themselves.
I guess a team doesn’t have to have an elite recruiter on the staff anymore as long as you have the best NIL package to offer.
San Diego, You nailed it. Recruiting still matters, but coaching is far more important now. You need top level coaches who can develop their talent and produce winning, which will draw attention and NIL money. Right now, there are only a few programs in collegiate football that will be able to compete nationally and SC is one of them. In fact, it is probably the best positioned to do so in the nation. But, it has to win and attract national attention – that will draw the sponsors and the NIL money. And, as I wrote earlier, I see no… Read more »
I wish we still had Michael Trigg too.
But I strongly believe USC will be just fine at the TE spot with Jude Wolfe, Malcolm Epps, Josh Falo, Ethan Rae, Lake McCree and Sean Mahoney.
USC just has so many weapons on offense, it’s crazy. At QB, WR and RB, the Trojans are now loaded beyond belief. Our OL starters are good enough, even if not superior, though both Vorhees and Neilon should be very good, especially now that they are well-coached.
Looking forward to LR’s next addition. He’s always full of surprises.
I am anxious to see how Trigg does in Kiffens offense. I to wish we still had him but I think Epps and McCree will stand out this season. Trigg was above all of them as far as being a receiver.
It’s funny RJJ, we all know who you meant.
Erik McKinney (WeAreSC) — “In 2010, USC was asked to disassociate everything Reggie Bush from the history books when the NCAA dropped the hammer. And USC sort of followed directions when they used more eye black on their record books than Reggie ever used under his eyes. “Reggie Bush’s name and accolades may have disappeared from the records, but the national championship game that he played in against Oklahoma did not. “On June 10th, 2020 – Reggie Bush’s NCAA mandated disassociation with USC came to an end. “On June 11th, 2021-Reggie Bush’s Heisman should have been put back on display inside Heritage Hall next to… Read more »
Stewart Mandel (The Athletic) — “I’d currently divide the preseason landscape into four tiers. Alabama is Tier 1. Ohio State and Georgia are Tier 2. Tier 3 is teams like Utah, Michigan, Michigan State and Baylor that were pretty good in 2021 but have to replace some big names. And Tier 4 encompasses the likes of Texas A&M, Notre Dame, USC, Oregon and Ole Miss — complete wild cards due to a coaching change, mass personnel turnover or, in A&M’s case, the fact they’re going to be relying heavily on freshmen. It should make for a fun, topsy-turvy season. “I’d pick my top-end guys regardless of experience… Read more »
https://twitter.com/USC_Hoops/status/1532124593577549825
I thought this was a done deal weeks ago. I did not know the issue of Peterson returning was still in doubt. Glad he is coming back!
College football programs as stocks — who are you buying? Selling? The Athletic’s Recruiting mailbag (Ari Wasserman isn’t buying USC yet): USC — Hold: “If this question was asked right after the Lincoln Riley hire, I’d have told you to buy. But now Riley’s presence — along with Caleb Williams — has the Trojans overpriced. If you have it, hold. If you don’t, this isn’t where you want to buy in. USC is priced as though it has already been to the College Football Playoff. It reminds me of Tesla. You expect good things to come from it long-term, and in theory, it could change the… Read more »
If it was a stock I would say buy, things are only going to get better from this point on. Especially as the season progresses the bandwagon is going to be filled up.
Prior to the LR hire, USC Football had degraded to a penny stock!
The patchwork is in place on the lines to have a decent season in 2022. But the future there is not secure. Thus, to me, despite a little too much hype around us for my comfort level at the moment, USC is still a buy. I’m going to bank that LR should make enough progress on improvement to start making a case for top lineman to become Trojans. Once that happens, the program is truly back, and could be consistently good on a national basis for as long as LR is around.
I’d say that if a dramatic film were to be made about LR’s first six months on the USC job, I’d have to call the movie “All the Right Moves“. Tom Cruise was the star in that football flick, and I hear Cruise’s latest Maverick adventure is a smashing success. The odds seemed against that to me, because I thought Top Gun 1 was gonna be too hard to beat. Right now it seems like LR’s the one who’s too hard to beat. The amount of good news about USC football that has occurred, sometimes daily, since Bohn hired LR… Read more »
Maverick is a success because the producers and Cruise decided to be “un-woke” for the movie. The Taiwan flag is back on Mavericks leather flight jacket–the ChiComs wanted it gone. At first the producers acquiesced, but apparently came to their senses and let the Taiwan flag fly–thumbing their noses to the Winnie the Pooh look-alike Chinese dictator. Yeah, baby!
To me, success in the first year will be entirely on the defense. Last years was probably the worst I can remember. Little talent, depth, and desire. I have no doubt the offense will score points with talent and scheme, but they are going to have to outscore to win a bunch of 35-30 type of games. If Alex Grinch can make that unit competitive next season, then the turnaround will be ahead of schedule and set the tone for recruitment on that side of the ball.
I do like the new incoming talent on D.
LR didn’t get all his targets, but overall, I see more size, speed, and athleticism than an offensive-minded coach would normally be expected to immed get — especially on such short notice.
There are these competing levels of ever-changing expectations that has USC football so massively intriguing right now.
The Trojans should be on the cover of every CFB pre-season mag, regardless of region. 😉 USC is one of the biggest stories this year, however it turns out.
This is a perfect schedule for the Pac 12 to return to prominence quickly. There are four teams that have serious top 10 opportunity: SC, UCLA, Oregon & Utah, with Utah probably having the best overall team in the Pac in 2022. And the best chance of playing in the Final 4. The downside for the Utes is they must play UCLA and then SC back to back. That really helps the Trojans. UCLA is the weakest team of the group, but has by far the best schedule. UCLA will play only three top 25 teams all year: SC, Oregon… Read more »
I see USC similar to a good spaghetti sauce or red wine. As it matures it just gets better every time. I think LR, as compared to Helton, will be able to watch film and truly make adjustments. Also, I think he is capable and qualified to make in game adjustments which of course we are not used to.
Steveg, Not fair to comparing LR to Helton. That is like comparing my ability to sculpt (which is zero) to Michelangelo’s! .
You don’t sculpt in your spare time off the golf course? The comparison was about how Helton wouldn’t know what to look at in the film room, LR could slice and dice it down to minimal items to be concerned with. And of course we simply are not used to USC making in game adjustments so with that taken care of I see a little bit of a brighter future, so call me a sunshine pumper. It’s about time. We have all been patient.
Your comparison doesn’t go far enough, TRJJ. What I leave in the commode in the morning compared to a Michelangelo’s sculptures of “David” or “La Pieta” is a better comparison of helton vs. LR. Just sayin’.
There are no easy schedules (except Ucla-they don’t play a real game for a long stretch) Take the Rice game, played in the afternoon at the coliseum. Which is hotter on September 3, Houston or Los Angeles? USC will get to use substitutes if the game goes right. I seem to remember Palo Alto being warmer and further inland, so no cool down there. The remnants of last year’s team should be motivated, while all the transfers might not worry about Stanford. Everyone takes Fresno lightly ask Larry Smith. What does Fresno do? They make raisins. If USC goes through… Read more »
Fresno makes wine, some of it pretty darn good too. Sun Maid makes raisins. They even have a wine store on campus. The place to go if you want to become a wine maker. Fresno to me is a big threat to USC, much bigger than what most people think. Tedford is a very good coach with a very good QB and a lot of returning players. They even signed a LB from USC who obviously was told to transfer. USC should win the game but it will be tough.
Don’t diss Fresno eh Steveg? But you are right, Fresno will play tough for the first half at least. I think USC talent will pull ahead in the second half. That is unless the offense doesn’t blow their draws off in the first quarter!
We live south of Fresno and this area is rabid about the Bulldogs. But they do make some pretty good wines. I agree with you, Fresno will play hard for a while but USC will run away with it in the end.
Fresno St. has been known to be a giant killer, that much is well documented. Heck, they even have beat up on baby bears. Many of the inland empire football stars consider Fresno to be their first choice. USC cannot look past anybody this year.
Barkboard — “All 12 Fresno State football games will be nationally televised, a first in the 101-year history of the program. The Bulldogs have become an attractive option for the networks, given the return of HC Jeff Tedford and multiple starters from last year’s team that won 10 games and cracked the AP Top 25 poll twice. SATURDAY, SEPT. 17 AT USC, FOX, 7:30 P.M. PT — “There’s a lot to like about this one: the big-name opponent, the late start time which allows for tailgates and travel, and the solid lead-in games. The Fresno State-USC game is the final… Read more »
If I read you right Tedford will be a disappointment and USC will coast through the game. I hope you are right about the game, but I hope you are wrong about the coach. He is a very good coach.
I don’t really expect that much from Tedford. His 108-71 overall record at two mid-major schools is admirable, especially with all those QBs he’s coached, but I would never classify Tedford as an elite CFB HC, which LR has already proven to be IMO. Some people earnestly promoted Tedford as the next USC coach, which I would have never wanted. But I think he’s perfect for where he is. I just don’t think he’ll have the horses to beat reborn USC at the Coliseum and coached by LR, even in year 1. But I never said anything whatsoever about USC’s… Read more »
The USC schedule is just what LR needs. A tuneup game, then a payback game and the season continues to get harder as USC gets better. This schedule should help them in the playoff rankings if they continue winning. I cannot see a game where USC has no chance of winning it, even ND which is in my opinion going to be a HUGE game for the winner.
I have to laugh at the ucla schedule. Why no Fresno State this season, what are they afraid of. Whoever scheduled these non conference games must have been feeling very desperate and would do anything to save Chips job.
BOOGIE’S BACK
Boogie Ellis makes it official, withdraws from the 2022 NBA draft, and will return to USC for his SR season. The 6-3 USC guard helped lead the Trojans to a 26-8 record, putting up 12.5 points and 2.4 assists per game in 33 starts. He finished second on the team in scoring and third among rotation players in 3-point shooting (38%).
With Ethan Anderson gone, getting Ellis back is a big win for Andy Enfield.