For the third time in four years, USC football has started off the season 4-0 under Lincoln Riley. However, the Trojans have not exactly played a marquee slate of opponents thus far, defeating Missouri State, Georgia Southern, Purdue, and Michigan State. Hence, many college football fans across the country have yet to actually watch Lincoln Riley’s team play.
So how are the Trojans being viewed from a national perspective? In his weekly “Final Thoughts” column, national college football analyst Stewart Mandel of The Athletic discussed the state of the Trojans four weeks into the season.
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“Lincoln Riley may have the most balanced offense of his four-year USC tenure,” Mandel wrote. “The No. 25 Trojans (4-0) are running the ball consistently. They went for 523 yards in their late-night 45-31 victory over Michigan State (3-1), with juco transfer Waymond Jordan (18 carries, 157 yards) once again leading the way. Meanwhile, quarterback Jayden Maiava looks drastically improved. He went into Saturday with the nation’s highest passer rating (215.53) and was an efficient 20 of 26 for 234 yards, three TDs and no picks against the Spartans.
“Riley, 9-9 in conference play the last two seasons, is finally inspiring confidence again, but the next three games will tell us whether his team is for real. USC is at Illinois, home against Michigan and at Notre Dame.”
As Mandel mentioned, the schedule is about to get a lot tougher for USC. This Saturday at Illinois will likely be the first time that many college football fans watch the Trojans play this season. It will be up to Lincoln Riley and his team to make a statement on the road and show that the team’s strong start to the year was not just a product of its weak schedule.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: National analyst evaluates USC football after Michigan State victory
