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The USC Trojans are entering their first season in the Big Ten Conference and face a schedule with multiple elite opponents. The Trojans' defense was a weak point in 2022 and 2023. For them to be successful in 2024, they must pick up the level of play on defense.
Coach Lincoln Riley took steps in the offseason to strengthen the team's defense, revamping the entire defensive coaching staff and acquiring multiple players through the Transfer Portal.
Riley poached defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn from USC's cross-town rival, the UCLA Bruins. Lynn led UCLA's defense to a No. 14 national ranking last year. Riley also brought in Eric Henderson as the Trojans' defensive line coach. Henderson is a major asset, as he was the defensive line coach of the Super Bowl LVI-winning Los Angeles Rams team. Henderson has a terrific relationship with Aaron Donald, who has participated in recent USC recruiting events. Riley also brought in highly-respected coaches Matt Entz and Doug Belk. Entz led the North Dakota State Bison to two FCS national championships and will spearhead the Trojans' linebacker room. Belk is a rising star who will head up the Trojans' secondary after serving as defensive coordinator for the Houston Cougars.
Along with the new defensive brain trust, USC has a bevy of talented new players on defense. Joining Bear Alexander, who anchors the defensive line, are free safety Kamari Ramsey, strong safety Akili Arnold, cornerback John Humphrey, linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold and defensive tackle Nate Clifton. Ramsey and Humphrey transferred from UCLA, following Lynn across town. Brothers Arnold and Mascarenas-Arnold transferred from Oregon State. Clifton is a graduate transfer from Vanderbilt.
Ramsey has been named to the 2024 Lott IMPACT Watch List. Clifton was a team captain at Vanderbilt in 2023. And, Mascarenas-Arnold was first-team All-Pac 12 Conference last year.
The Trojans are locked and loaded at the wide receiver position, headlined by electric Zachariah Branch, a five-star recruit who made first-team All-American as a return specialist in his freshman year. With Branch and fellow playmakers WR Duce Robinson and WR Ja'Kobi Lane hooking up with quarterback Miller Moss, the Trojans' offense promises to remain dynamic despite the departure of 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams.
Moss patiently waited his turn to be QB1 and showcased his talent in the Holiday Bowl. In addition to the explosive receivers he will be targeting, Moss will receive stout support from team leader Jonah Monheim, moving over to play center in 2024, and talented running back Jo'Quavious "Woody" Marks who transferred to USC from Mississippi State.
In the recently released Associated Press (AP) Top 25 preseason poll, USC is ranked No. 23. College Football Dawgs offers the following prediction of how the Trojans will fare game-by-game in 2024.
Week 1: LSU Tigers (Las Vegas)
In a highly-anticipated intersectional clash, USC and the Tigers open their season at 7:30 p.m. EST on Sept. 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. This is a matchup between two of the most storied programs in college football history. They produced the last two Heisman Trophy winners and they have both earned many national and conference championships.
Like USC, LSU struggled defensively last year. Redshirt junior Garrett Nussmeier earned MVP honors for his stellar play for the Bayou Bengals on Jan. 1 in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Although two of the Tigers' wide receivers from last year's squad were selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft (Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.), LSU's wide receiver room remains stocked with ample talent. Thus, Nussmeier will not be short of talented targets this season. Nevertheless, USC and its skill players will exploit LSU's secondary in this one and shock those who cling to the belief that the college football universe rotates around the Southeastern Conference.
Record: 1-0
Week 2: Utah State Aggies
College Football Network ranks the Aggies No. 100 out of the 134 FBS teams. While the Aggies have terrific wide receivers, including Jalen Royals and Micah Davis, their defense routinely gave up more than 30 points per game last season. Utah State will be unable to keep up with the Trojans on Sept. 7 in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Record: 2-0
Week 3: Bye
Week 4: at Michigan Wolverines
USC and Michigan have played head-to-head 10 times, with the Trojans holding a 6-4 advantage. Eight of the 10 matchups took place in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. One took place in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (1957). And, one took place in Ann Arbor, Mich. (1958.) USC has prevailed in the last three meetings, with the last game taking place in 2007.
While USC comes into this clash off a bye, and the Wolverines play the preceding week, Michigan will be well-rested as its opponent before USC is Arkansas State. The Red Wolves went 6-7 last year, beginning their season with a 73-0 shellacking at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners. Michigan will be able to rest most of its key players throughout much of the contest with Arkansas State. And, although the defending national champions lost a whopping 13 players to the 2024 NFL Draft, they return plenty of talent. Led by Doak Walker Award candidate Donovan Edwards, Michigan's "Team 145" will get the Trojans before a raucous crowd in Ann Arbor.
Record: 2-1
Week 5: Wisconsin Badgers
The Badgers and Trojans have met seven times. USC holds a commanding 6-1 lead in the series. These teams meet in Los Angeles on Sept. 28. If the game were at Camp Randall it might be a different story. But, on the Pacific Coast, USC's four-star and five-star athletes will be too much to handle for Wisconsin's well-coached and fundamentally sound three-star players.
Record: 3-1
Week 6: at Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Golden Gophers and Trojans have met seven times. USC's record in the series is 6-1. The teams last met in 2011, with the Trojans prevailing 19-17. USC and Minnesota meet on Oct. 5 at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers went 6-7 last year.
In 2023, they narrowly beat Iowa but lost to Illinois. Moreover, Minnesota lost to a weak Purdue team. Led by inspirational and well-regarded coach PJ Fleck, the Golden Gophers will put up a fight but do not have the talent to stick with the Trojans for four quarters.
Record: 4-1
Week 7: Penn State Nittany Lions
The Nittany Lions are coming off a 10-3 season, in which their only losses were to Michigan, Ohio State and Ole Miss. The loss to the Rebels was in the Peach Bowl. On Oct. 12, Penn State meets the Trojans at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. USC and Penn State have played 10 times, with the Trojans holding a 6-4 edge. The last time they met, on Jan. 2, 2017, the Trojans defeated the Nittany Lions in the Rose Bowl.
For the third straight year, Penn State's offensive backfield will feature the duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. The Nittany Lions will enter this game with a 5-0 record and might be favored, but the Trojans' defense will shock onlookers by shining in this contest, and USC will take this one at home, propelling the team upward significantly in the 2024 rankings
Record: 5-1
Week 8: at Maryland Terrapins
Rolling into Terrapin Station on Oct. 19, the Trojans will be in or near the top 10 after taking down the Nittany Lions. But, this is where they will stumble. Coach Mike Locksley's offense, led by redshirt sophomore MJ Morris, who transferred from North Carolina State, will exploit the Trojans' improved but spotty defense. This loss could doom the Trojans' chances of qualifying for the College Football Playoff.
Record: 5-2
Week 9: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
USC and Rutgers have never met before. While old-line fans of the Pac-12 are lamenting the circumstance that USC will no longer have regular matchups against the Oregon State Beavers and Washington State Cougars, the prospect of frequent meetings against new conference opponents like the Scarlet Knights should offer some solace. Rutgers plays USC at the Coliseum in a Friday night contest on Oct. 25. Long-time coach Greg Schiano led the Scarlet Knights to a 7-6 record last year, including an impressive bowl game win over Miami. Rutgers will put up a scrappy fight under the Friday night lights in Southern California but will succumb to USC's dynamic playmakers.
Record: 6-2
Week 10: at Washington Huskies
Washington is coming off an unforgettable season. The Huskies were runners-up in the national championship quest. However, UW experienced significant turnover in the aftermath of its 2023 campaign. Coach Kalen DeBoer bolted from Seattle to take over for Nick Saban at Alabama. Furthermore, 10 stars from last year's elite squad were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. Additionally, a staggering 30 Huskies players entered the Transfer Portal, four of whom followed DeBoer to Tuscaloosa, Ala. Thus, the Huskies and new coach Jedd Fisch are rebuilding in 2024. Even at home, this depleted Washington team will be unable to prevail over the Trojans.
Record: 7-2
Week 11: Bye
Week 12: Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Cornhuskers have played the Trojans five times and have yet to win. When they meet USC on Nov. 16 in Los Angeles, that will not change. Nebraska went 5-7 in 2023. Freshman QB Dylan Raiola, who was a five-star recruit, is slated to take control of the offense. The Huskers are improving and have a reasonably favorable schedule in 2024, but they are not yet ready for a big-time win against a ranked opponent.
Record: 8-2
Week 13: at UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins took the "victory bell" last year. USC will take it back this year. Heading into the 2024 college football season, expectations for the Bruins are decidedly low. Although the Bruins finished their 2023 campaign with an 8-5 record and a victory over Boise State in the LA Bowl, the team has undergone significant change. Following the 2023, season, the UCLA Bruins suffered numerous losses from their roster and coaching staff. Their head coach and defensive coordinator left, and only nine starters from last year's squad are returning.
This is technically an away game for USC. But UCLA plays its home games in the Rose Bowl, which is less than 20 miles away from the USC campus. USC handles UCLA in this cross-town rivalry game.
Record: 9-2
Week 14: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Fighting Irish will come into this game with only one loss, vanquished by Texas A&M in their season opener, but the winner of 10 straight games after that. If the Irish can beat the Trojans, they will be a shoo-in for the CFP. But, they won't get it done. Branch explodes onto the national scene on Nov. 30 in the L.A. Coliseum. The Trojans' all-everything wide receiver and kickoff return specialist will shine, receiving 2 touchdown passes from QB Moss and returning a punt for a touchdown.
With two losses on their resume, some on the CFP selection committee will vote against including the Trojans. But, others will take the position that Branch and his glitzy team should be included. Will they get in?
Record: 10-2
USC Trojans: Fight On
With a 10-2 record in their first season in the B1G, the Trojans will have a case to argue for inclusion in the CFP. But the loss to Maryland in Week 8 might keep them out. Nevertheless, the 10-2 record, with victories over primary rivals—UCLA and Notre Dame—will satisfy most USC fans.
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