This was the biggest win for Lincoln Riley since his heavily hyped arrival at USC.
The Tigers were projected to finish fifth in the powerhouse SEC as a fringe contender for the College Football Playoff.
However, this was still a signature victory for Riley, a win over a quality program from the best league in the country, because of what it may mean for this USC team.
USC was ranked 23rd entering the year, the lowest ever for a Riley team.
That was the biggest takeaway from the win over LSU, the improvement on that side of the ball.
USC had a goal-line stand on the game’s first possession and held LSU to a field goal in its final four possessions.
Maybe the Tigers just aren’t very good, and in time, we’ll look back at this win as less impressive.
Lincoln Riley hasn’t had a better win since landing in Los Angeles.
It’s way too early to declare that Miami is the team to beat in that league, but that 41-17 win at Florida sure was impressive.
It’s hard to see this team avoiding another sub-.500 season, and would Florida really keep a coach with three straight losing seasons?
It was just Week 1. The match was not in a conference.
Nothing matters about it.
After his much awaited arrival at USC, this was Lincoln Riley’s greatest victory to date. The greatest triumph. the Trojans have rarely put on a performance this comprehensive.
Let’s admit it: USC didn’t defeat a favorite for the national championship in Las Vegas on Sunday. After losing Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels and star receiver Malik Nabers to the NFL, LSU started the season ranked 13th in the nation. As a remote candidate for the College Football Playoff, the Tigers were predicted to place fifth in the dominant SEC.
Even so, given what this win might mean for the USC team, Riley’s signature triumph over a top program from the nation’s top league remains noteworthy. It had just finished a miserable 8–5 season. This team is new to the Big Ten this season and hasn’t won more than 11 games since 2008, when Pete Carroll was still the head coach. It was an uncertain season, so expectations were low. Caleb Williams had vanished. D’Anton Lynn was brought in as the new defensive coordinator. Prior to the season, USC’s ranking was 23rd, which was the lowest ever for a Riley squad. Recall that this is the coach who succeeded Bob Stoops at Oklahoma in 2017 and went on to win 55 games in five seasons, including four playoff appearances. Things were a little too high for him when he left for USC. Even if Williams followed Riley to the West Coast, it would take time for the Trojans to be a title contender once more.
The previous two seasons were unsatisfactory. The Trojans scored a lot of points, but they were unable to stop anyone. Riley’s first season, all they had to do was win the Pac-12 championship game, but Utah crushed them, and that was followed by a Cotton Bowl loss to Tulane. It got worse last year. Five of USC’s six games were losses following a 6-0 beginning. With 34 points per game and 186 points5 in rushing yards allowed, the defense was a sieve.
That, the advancement on that side of the ball, was the most important lesson learned from the victory over LSU. Just 117 rushing yards and 20 points were scored by the Tigers. In the game’s opening drive, USC forced a goal-line stand, and in its next four drives, it limited LSU to a field goal. With the exception of UCLA transfer safety Kamari Ramsey, who had a strong performance, the defensive stars were linebackers Mason Cobb and Eric Gentry. The offense’s 450 total yards under new starting quarterback Miller Moss was hardly surprising. Riley is an offensive wizard who developed three different quarterbacks to win the Heisman Trophy: Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Williams.
However, his team’s defense has always been its weak point. That was not the case with LSU. Perhaps in due course, we will see this victory as less noteworthy because the Tigers are simply not that good. That was significant enough for the time being, though. Not since moving to Los Angeles has Lincoln Riley had a better victory.
Watch out for the hurricanes.
Before the season started, Miami piqued my interest, and it does now. In addition to dominating Florida in The Swamp, the Hurricanes’ opponents, Florida State and Clemson, were notably lackluster in their losses. These two teams are anticipated to face off at the top of the ACC. Even though Miami defeated Florida 41–17, it’s still far too early to say that they are the team to beat in that league. The defense recorded eight tackles for loss and three sacks, while the new quarterback, Cam Ward, scorched the Gators for 385 yards and three touchdowns. Journey of the Hurricanes to a 7-0 lead, culminating in an Oct. There’s the 26-point matchup with Florida State. Their hardest game, theoretically, was a Sept. Though that was prior to the Hokies’ defeat by SEC heavyweight Vanderbilt in their game on April 27 against Virginia Tech. Perhaps in October. The trip to Louisville on 19 will not be easy. However, Miami has a good chance of matching the seven victories from the previous season by Halloween.
Gator requires assistance.
It’s not too early to be concerned about Billy Napier’s prospects at Florida. Having finished 11–14 in his previous two seasons, this one could be disastrous. The Gators still have seven scheduled games, including trips to No. No. 15 Tennessee and 15. 4 Texas in addition to at-home games against No. 1 Georgia and No. 6th Ole Miss. This team is unlikely to avoid another sub-. After three consecutive losing seasons, would Florida really retain a coach in the 500 season?
