The games that have mattered most for USC football are obvious. UCLA and Notre Dame have long been the two must-win, need-to-win games on the Trojans’ schedule. Notre Dame will resume in a few years, but for now, the Trojans won’t play the Irish. We talked to UCLA Wire about the evolving meaning of an important game at USC.
“USC fans do not consider Oregon a rival, so purely in terms of a “rivalry,” yes, UCLA is number one with Notre Dame temporarily out of the picture. However, Oregon is the game USC really, really needs to win this year, and needs to start winning on a regular basis. Dan Lanning is now what Lincoln Riley was a decade ago: a hot commodity and an energetic, young coach who was riding the wave, getting his team to the playoffs on a regular basis and competing at the top of his conference. Riley hasn’t been that guy for some time. He hasn’t set that standard at USC since 2022, his first season. The Oklahoma version of Riley won four straight Big 12 championships and made three straight playoff semifinal appearances. Oklahoma was a legitimate national championship contender and was able to produce richly successful seasons one after the other. That’s the guy USC thought it was getting. It’s not the guy the Trojans actually have. Beating Oregon is the gateway to regaining that big-boy status on the West Coast. UCLA is the big rivalry, but Oregon is the biggest game and matchup for USC to solve.”
USC fans don’t have to treat Oregon as a rival if they don’t want to. However, Oregon is the most important game of the season, rival or not. The Trojans need to put everything they have into beating the Ducks. If they succeed, the direction of the program could finally change for the better.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: For USC football, rivalries and important games are not the same
Reporting by Matt Zemek, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Matt Zemek, Trojans Wire | USA TODAY Network
