LOS ANGELES – The countdown to USC’s prime-time game against LSU next Sunday night in Las Vegas has officially begun.

Here are some thoughts and insights as the Trojans begin their regular season.

1. There was a lot of talk this spring about Lincoln Riley handing over his quarterback coaching duties to Luke Huard and what that means for the head coach in terms of integrating other position groups.

On Thursday, Riley was asked how this will affect the regular season.

He said he’s still in the meeting room every day — some days more than others. He and Huard have spent time planning what each coach will cover and when Riley needs to be with the quarterbacks. The new arrangement has allowed Riley to spend more time with the defense, special teams and other offensive position groups.

“I feel like we’re finding a good balance,” Riley said. “But I have a lot of confidence in Luke. He’s done a great job with them. Like I told you guys, it’s really hard to just give up. You have to have an incredible amount of confidence in somebody, but I have so much confidence in him. … I know I’ve loved getting the chance to be more present in some of those other parts, and I think it’s helped us. I think it’s helped our team so far.”

It will be interesting to see what a more engaged Riley looks like for the other position groups and if he approaches the game differently from a play-calling perspective. USC played solid complementary football in the first six games of the 2022 season but hasn’t really done so since. It needs to get better in that regard and I believe that’s something Riley recognizes.

2. I’m stating the obvious, but this is such a pivotal year for Riley. There’s some truth to what he said at Big Ten media days. He’s been put in a tough situation and there are some things he can’t fix overnight.

But it’s also year three, and most of the players from the Clay Helton era have been cut or have exhausted their eligibility. It’s Riley’s roster, his program and his vision.

The task has changed since the Trojans moved up to the Big Ten. It’s tougher now. But that squad wouldn’t have been the favorite to win the Pac-12 this year. Oregon would have been the pick, and USC probably would have finished behind Utah and maybe Arizona in the preseason polls.

So most people didn’t expect that the program could have had the third or fourth best roster on the West Coast at this stage of Riley’s tenure – and yes, I know where the Trojans rank in the 247Sports Team Talent Composite.

Recruiting has not been at the elite level most expected, and Riley has been criticized for several other reasons – the ongoing struggles on defense, the statement that the program was evaluating the long-term viability of the Notre Dame series and reportedly a desire to get out of the LSU game.

All of this comes after USC’s extremely disappointing 8-5 season, so Riley will either prove he has the Trojans on the right path this season, or those who doubt him will be proven right.

It will be fascinating to watch how things develop further.

3. Riley has been criticized by USC fans in the past for not having a dedicated special teams coordinator. Honestly, I’ve seen a lot of bad special teams games over the years when the Trojans have had a coordinator.

Regardless, changes are coming. The NCAA recently lifted the limit on the number of coaches allowed to teach on the field, so Riley has promoted some staff members.

Zach Crabtree’s title changed from Offensive Graduate Assistant to Assistant Offensive Line Coach. Taylor Mays went from Defensive Analyst to Assistant Defensive Backs Coach. And Ryan Dougherty is now Special Teams Coordinator after previously holding the title of Senior Special Teams Analyst.

This means USC officially has a special teams coordinator, although Dougherty spent the last two seasons in that role — only unofficially. The Trojans’ special teams need to take a step forward this year after really struggling during the first two years of Riley’s tenure.

Georgia Southern transfer Michael Lantz should be a valuable addition as a field goal kicker. USC will also need him to score more touchbacks and improve field position.

Ready to carry the torch 🔥 pic.twitter.com/kjnUE8Ars5

— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) 22 August 2024

4. USC answered its quarterback question this week when it named Miller Moss the starter. The most important position now up for grabs is right guard.

When asked if employees were close to having more clarity on this, Riley said: “We’re getting there.”

Amos Talalele and Alani Noa are the main competitors, but Talalele was somewhat limited during training camp before recently returning to full participation, so the team wants to see more of him.

Gino Quinones is training but is still working on his recovery after suffering a knee injury last year. He could also be an option.

Whoever starts will be scrutinized closely. Talalele and Noa are both inexperienced and in their second year of the program.

I know defense will be a big problem, but the offensive line is quickly climbing up the list of concerns. Elijah Paige is a promising left tackle, but has only started once in his career. The right guard will also be young. Jonah Monheim is a good player, but has never played center. And Mason Murphy is inconsistent at right tackle. Plus, there isn’t much depth.

USC will face several teams with strong defenses, and I keep coming back to this question: Can the Trojans consistently block players like Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant at Michigan – or those types of players at other schools? I’m not convinced they’ll be able to, and that’s going to be a real problem.

5. We’ll finally see how D’Anton Lynn’s USC defense performs in a competitive environment. I’m not sure how many spots the defense will jump up in the national rankings, but it should be better.

I think it can be very helpful to know the basics – like where to line up, what the roles are, etc. It would be a step in the right direction if players didn’t look at their wristbands at the snap. That was a hallmark of the Alex Grinch era.

“I would say that’s the most important thing,” linebacker Eric Gentry said, “just being able to not think too much about your job or worry too much, just make the play. I think (in the past) it was more about other things than playing football. So I think this year it’s a lot more straightforward, I feel like it’s an NFL style. That’s the most important thing.”

One of the main priorities of this defensive team should be to avoid excessive game-day thinking.

6. It was pretty big news this week when Pete Carroll announced in a radio interview that he plans to teach at USC in the spring. A few days after Carroll announced the news, Riley was asked how he felt about having the former USC head coach in the program in an official or unofficial capacity.

“I would love to have him here,” Riley said. “Coach has been great to me. We’ve had the opportunity to meet and talk quite often. He’s been a great resource and a great person to ask anything. He’s been very good to me. So, yeah, I’m really excited that he’s going to be here more often.”

“We’d be crazy not to take advantage of his presence, whether it’s in an official capacity or not. He’s made it very clear that we have a good open line of communication. That’s one that I really appreciate and respect. We’ll never hesitate to pick up the phone and call him or reach out to him because he’s obviously been very successful as a coach and he obviously knows his stuff here very well. So I’m grateful for his help, his friendship and I’d love to have him around a lot more.”

We will learn more in the spring about the extent to which Carroll will be involved in the program.

7. With the season starting soon, here is my prediction for the Trojans: 7-5.

There is a concerning lack of depth along the offensive line, and while the defense should be better, I believe the Trojans are missing a player or two on the D-line as well. Those are not good positions for a team moving to the Big Ten to have problems at.

Maybe the Trojans could beat Penn State or Notre Dame at home and get to 8-4. It wouldn’t shock me, but I think seven or eight wins is the most likely scenario. If USC can win nine games with this schedule, I think that would be an undeniable success and a great sign for the program’s development.

Eight wins would probably be OK – not great, but not terrible either. And seven wins would raise a lot of questions.

(Photo by Lincoln Riley: Tom Hauck/Getty Images)