Looking at the preseason AP poll released on Monday, USC does not find itself in the top 25. Quite different than the debut JP Poll from Josh Pate, placing the Trojans at No. 15. Quite a big difference in opinion when it comes to Lincoln Riley’s program. Part of the reason Pate is high on […]
Looking at the preseason AP poll released on Monday, USC does not find itself in the top 25. Quite different than the debut JP Poll from Josh Pate, placing the Trojans at No. 15. Quite a big difference in opinion when it comes to Lincoln Riley’s program.
Part of the reason Pate is high on USC entering the 2025 season is because of the defense. Usually, the word ‘defense’ in a sentence with ‘Lincoln Riley’ is laughed at. But Pate says it’s a “new day” for Riley after historically struggling.
“I just think the defense is going to keep scaling up” Pate said via Josh Pate’s College Football Show. “And I don’t think people are appreciating it because I think the world doesn’t even associate defense with Lincoln Riley teams. If you’re going off history, you’re right to do that. I just think it’s a little bit of a new day around Lincoln Riley’s program in that sense.”
From a scoring defense perspective, USC improved by over 10 points per game. The Trojans gave up just an average of 24.1 points, seeing opponents go over the 30-point threshold on only three occasions. Normally, you would assume a Riley-led team found a way to win a ton of games.
Some late-game collapses wound up being their demise, though. Pate mentioned how there were five Big Ten contests USC led in the fourth quarter they wound up losing. Just a devastating stat when you finish 6-6 during the regular season before getting a bump due to a bowl win.
It will be a few weeks before we really learn what USC’s defense can be. Week 1 and 2 will be against lesser opponents, facing Missouri State and Georgia Southern. Even the Big Ten opener against Purdue does not inspire too much excitement despite being played in West Lafayette.
Pate has Sept. 27 against Illinois circled on his calendar. Getting a win there, in his opinion, could springboard USC into having a really good season. Illinois is widely considered a Big Ten championship dark horse. Getting a win on the road would be a massive boost before entering key months.
From there, a key three-game stretch against Michigan, Notre Dame, and Nebraska takes place. Years past would have told us Riley would need to offensively scheme himself into wins. Maybe the page has finally turned over, welcoming a more balanced roster to his program.
Category: General Sports
