Where Does USC Go From Here?
What looked like a promising season is turning into a disaster
It’s the inaugural season in the BIG 10 Conference for the USC Trojans in this year’s college football season and it couldn’t be going any worse.
The Trojans, once again, collapsed to the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday, Oct. 10.
They had a 28–14 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Trojans were overwhelming them on both sides of the ball.
However, in the fourth quarter, it all fell apart. Maryland scored 15 unanswered points, converting a handful of fourth down conversions and a touchdown drive with just 59 seconds left of regulation.
USC found a way to lose that game just like they did against the Penn State Nittany Lions last week, the Minnesota Golden Gophers the week before, and the Michigan Wolverines on Sept. 21.
It’s more like the Trojans hand-wrapped those games and just gave it to their opposition.
USC should be undefeated with a 7–0 record, but the Trojans have shown to be incapable of playing 48 minutes of football. So instead, they have a 3–4 record and have only won one game in their conference.
As a USC fan, I’m frustrated.
There’s not a single shred of optimism I have for this program.
I thought after beating the LSU Tigers in week one and the dominant shutout win against the Utah State Aggies in week two that USC would be a legit team.
Instead, it turns out those wins were nothing more than flukes.
Miller Moss is not the quarterback that the team thought he was going to be.
In my opinion, they should just forfeit the season.
I’ve had enough.
I think every Trojan fan has had enough.
Get Jason Reynoso’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Even former Trojans like Lendale White, who was on the team when they last won a national championship in 2004, have expressed how fed up they are with the mediocrity in the program.
What’s the point of watching the rest of the season?
Not even the Trojans playing their rivals, UCLA Bruins, seems like it’s worth watching.
What’s there to compete for? Another measly bowl game?
Will they even qualify to play in a bowl game?
The schedule doesn’t look any easier and the future doesn’t look any brighter.
Fans want Lincoln Riley gone and I’m not sure if that’s the right answer but he has definitely not met the expectations of the fans and the program.
In three seasons as the head coach, he has not brought USC anywhere near a national championship.
It has been twenty years and it looks like that number will continue to rise.
His tenure has not lived up to the large contract he signed back in 2022 with his questionable play calling and horrible time management that contributed a lot to the losses they’ve suffered so far this season.
Unfortunately for the fans who want him to start packing his bags, I don’t think the program will be able to afford a buyout with the kind of contract they’ve given him.
With all that being said, is he the only one at fault?
Should all the blame be put on him?
Now this is just speculation but it might make a little sense.
Have the players put their NIL deals more of a priority than playing winning football?
I don’t think that question is a reach since something like that can feed someone’s ego.
Maybe that’s the reason why players aren’t executing as well as they should be.
They let money get in the way of how they play and are just playing selfish football.
Regardless, this program is back to looking average.
Thanks for reading my story.
