There have been plenty of important games during Lincoln Riley's time at USC. The 2022 Pac-12 Championship Game against Utah certainly qualifies. Win that game, and USC was going to the College Football Playoff in Riley's first season.
It was about to add another Heisman Trophy to an already packed trophy case thanks to Caleb Williams. It looked like USC had pulled off one of the quickest rebuilds we'd ever seen. Then Utah beat the Trojans 47-24.
Williams pulled his hamstring in the game, and things quickly went south. They've mostly stayed there since. Four years later, Riley finds himself preparing for another enormous game — only this one feels different.
Saturday's game against Oregon is the most important game Riley has coached at USC because it's no longer about what USC might become under Riley. It's about proving what USC actually is. The Trojans enter the weekend 4-0 and ranked No. 12.
They've scored at least 39 points in every game. Jayden Maiava has looked like one of the best quarterbacks in the country, and the offense has done what Riley offenses tend to do. But we've seen this movie before.
In fact, we've seen it a few times. The question with USC has never really been whether Riley can build an offense capable of putting up 40 points. If you're still wondering about that after watching his teams for the last decade, I'm not sure you've been paying attention.
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