Previewing LSU’s marquee season opener with our pal Brian from Off Tackle Empire
Y’all smell that? It’s finally game week.
The 8-month long hibernation has come and gone and Sunday night LSU’s 2024 campaign kicks off under the lights of Allegiant Stadium aka THE ROOMBA against the Trojans of Southern Cal. Legendary Big 10 member USC of course.
We can’t preview the Trojans without a little help from our friends so give a hearty hello to Brian from Off Tackle Empire.
1. It’s week one so we obviously don’t yet know how the season is going to play out, but heading into the year where does USC fit in the hierarchy of the B1G? Can they get to Indianapolis in year one?
How likely is it that USC plays in the Big Ten championship game this year? Not very. Ohio State and Oregon appear to be the class of the newly expanded Big Ten. Michigan and Penn State are candidates to earn berths in the expanded college football playoff. USC, and to a lesser extent Iowa, seem to be in the next tier of teams.
But having said that, I think people are sleeping on USC a bit. The Trojans are in good hands at quarterback with Miller Moss and I expect their defense to play better under new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. USC’s schedule also might play in its favor. Its conference schedule, at least. The Trojans have one of the tougher schedules around, but two of their toughest games are non-conference tilts against LSU and Notre Dame. In conference, the Trojans have two red-letter games: Michigan and Penn State. They travel to Ann Arbor early, when the Wolverines will still be breaking in a new quarterback, and they get Penn State at home. If the Trojans can pull an upset in either game, they could end the season near the top of the conference standings.
Of course, a lot has to go right for USC to complete against the likes of Michigan and Penn State – to say nothing of not slipping somewhere else along the way. And with so many questions, particularly on the offensive and defensive lines, well, I wouldn’t count on it.
2. How would you grade Lincoln Riley through two years at Southern Cal? What does a successful 2024 look like for him and the Trojans?
The bloom is somewhat off Riley’s rose after last year, but any suggestion that his seat is hot is a bit premature. Last year was disappointing to be sure, but is it’s not like Riley went 55-10 at Oklahoma or won 11 games in his debut season at USC by accident. He’s still one of the better offensive minds in the game.
So, what does a successful season look like for Riley and the Trojans?
USC is a place, like LSU, where expectations are always high. Yet, because of last season’s performance and the loss of Caleb Williams and six of his teammates to the NFL, expectations are somewhat tempered this year. That being the case, I don’t think success will be measured solely by record, but by how USC plays. How the Trojans compete. Sure, USC fans would like to win ten games, but after a season as dysfunctional and as disappointing as last season, more than anything they’re looking for better play – on both sides of the ball.
Of course, should USC manage to win only five or six games, I take back what I said about number of victories not being important.
3. In one corner you have Garrett Nussmeier replacing the 2023 Heisman winner and No. 2 overall pick in this past NFL Draft. In the other you have Miller Moss replacing the 2022 Heisman winner and the No. 1 overall pick in this past draft. Both have been with their respective programs for multiple years now, and are entering year one as starting QBs. What’s the scouting report on Moss?
I think the Trojans are in good hands with Miller Moss. He’s gotten a lot of good press for his stellar play in his first career start – a Holiday Bowl victory in which he passed for 372 yards and six touchdowns – but it’s more than that. Moss has spent three-plus years in the system. Two-plus years working with Riley. He stayed the course when USC recruited the apparent heir-apparent to Caleb Williams and came out on top.
Granted, it’s a very small sample size, but in limited action Moss has looked the part, too. Beyond the numbers, Moss has looked comfortable in the pocket, showed nice touch and accuracy on his passes and has generally made good decisions with the football. And he has the full support of his teammates.
My colleague Mike McCarthy suggested that Moss could earn all-conference honors this season (not necessarily first team, but second or third) and that’s certainly not out of the question.
Plus, when has Lincoln Riley ever not gotten good quarterback play?
4. LSU and USC were both victims of bad defenses in 2023. What does D’Anton Lynn plan on doing differently than Alex Grinch?
Hopefully a lot.
USC will have a number of new faces in 2024, but the most important new face might not be a player, but new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. Lynn was hired away from crosstown rival UCLA, where he turned the Bruins defense into one of the best in the nation. Lynn now has his sights on remaking one of the worst.
Hyperbole? Lynn is inheriting a defense that ranked 121st in total defense last season. One that surrendered 433 yards and more than 34 points per game. If there was a statistic at which the USC defense did excel, it was missed tackles and blown coverages.
There are signs that Lynn is already making his mark. USC didn’t exactly shut down Louisville in the Holiday Bowl, the Lynn’s first game leading the defense, but the Trojans did hold the ten-win Cardinals below their season averages in points and total yards. And they looked better doing so.
But how much improvement can be expected in one year? Enough to take some of the pressure off USC’s revamped offense? Enough to keep the Trojans in games against opponents like LSU? If so, it will go a long way toward helping USC bounce back from a disappointing 2023.
5. LSU’s got a shaky at best punter situation. That’s probably not a good thing with Zachariah Branch looming, yeah?
Zachariah Branch is a problem in the return game, for sure. And all indications are that he’ll resume his role as a returner (why wouldn’t he?). But one of the keys for USC isn’t Branch’s role in the return game, but in the passing game. USC hopes Branch (one of four sophomore receivers expected to get the lion’s share of looks this season) will show similar explosiveness in the passing game this season. Keeping him from accomplishing that will be key for Blake Baker and LSU.
6. Finally, who’s winning this thing anyway? Who needs it more?
Who needs it more? Probably the Tigers. Their pre-season ranking puts them on the fringe of the college football playoff. Not many are including USC in early playoff conversations.
Beyond that, coming off such a disappointing season, expectations are a little lower than usual for USC this season. I don’t think a lot of people are expecting the Trojans to come away from the LSU game with a win. An extremely poor showing would certainly be disappointing, but there’s more upside to this game than downside for USC.
Who wins? I guess we’ll find out soon.