USC Trojans coach Lincoln Riley has yet to make some noise in the College Football Playoff during his tenure, but Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt expects changes aplenty come this fall.
The Trojans return depth, but more than that, they return their biggest asset: quarterback Jayden Maiava. Maiava previously made his feelings clear about why returning to the Trojans was the right fit. Now, Klatt argues that Maiava must deliver when it counts this fall alongside the whole team.
“Here’s a team that I’m a little higher on than I think most around the country,” Klatt said on the “Joel Klatt Show.” “If you really evaluate the way that they’ve built their roster and then what they have returning next year, I think it’s time to get a little bit bullish on USC.”
Even though the narrative has remained relatively similar in each preseason regarding the Trojans, Klatt said another distinct advantage they have is protecting their home-field advantage all season long to remain in postseason contention.
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“I’ve said [this] about USC and more specifically Lincoln Riley over the last couple of years, when Lincoln decides to be a run-oriented team, they are very difficult to beat,” Klatt said. “They were undefeated at home last year, undefeated at home. So their ability to run the football will allow them to develop wide receivers and at least replace, maybe not completely, but in some. In some aspect, Makai Lemon on the outside.”
Klatt said the hype surrounding the Trojans is entirely justified. It just needs to translate into actually taking the next step.
“Listen, I just trust Lincoln Riley and his offense for the wealth of experience that he’s had every single year, being able to throw the football. They’re going to have somebody to throw the football to on the outside. There are talented guys there. Plus, they had the No. 1 recruiting class. This is Lincoln’s most talented roster and, again, it’s good where he needs it to be good.”
We’ll see if Klatt is correct. Considering how top-heavy the Big Ten is expected to be, though, there may be some surprises.
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Only time will tell.
