2022 USC Football Preview

Could any other team dominate the offseason headlines quite like the Trojans of Southern Cal? Coming off their worst season since 1991 in terms of final season record, USC made the ultimate splash hire right before the end of the season in luring Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma. That was just the beginning.

Freshman phenom quarterback Caleb Williams joined Riley in Los Angeles from Oklahoma within a few months via the transfer portal, along with wide receiver Mario Williams and cornerback Latrell McCutchin. The cherry on top of this sundae was the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner, Jordan Addison, choosing to leave the University of Pittsburgh and join the arsenal of talent the Trojans are stockpiling as they head into the 2022 season.

USC’s 2022 recruiting class finished as the sixth-ranked group in the nation when factoring in the transfer portal additions, according to 247 Sports Composite rankings. This feat was made possible by Riley’s quick work to retain a few key recruits like Domani Jackson, flip some others like Raleek Brown from Oklahoma and CJ Williams from Notre Dame, and dominate the transfer portal with 20 commits entering the program from other schools.

Many of those players will feature in the Trojans starting 11 on both sides of the ball to begin the season. Caleb Williams will be under center, Oregon transfer Travis Dye will lead a stable of backs that also includes Stanford-transfer Austin Jones, and the pass-catchers will include Addison, Mario Williams, and Brendan Rice, the four-star transfer from Colorado. On the defensive side of the ball, transfer portal linebackers Eric Gentry from Arizona State and Shane Lee from Alabama will factor into the Week 1 roster along with McCutchin at corner. They join Tuli Tuipulotu, who returns for his third season after logging 5.5 sacks in 2021, and Xavion Alford, who put together a three-interception season in his first at Southern Cal after transferring from Texas in 2021. The re-tooled Trojans will have their work cut out for them in a transition year, but no one will be surprised to see them compete with the top teams in the Pac 12, and potentially on the national scale.

USC is currently narrowly favored over Utah and Oregon to win the conference at 2-1 odds. Their projected win total is around 9.5 depending on the sports book, which would mark a significant turnaround from their four wins last season. That’s exactly what the athletic department is looking for after making the splash hire of Riley.

Around Full Press Coverage

NFL OPINION: Browns Quarterback Deshaun Watson Suspended Six Games

NFL: 2022 NFL Breakout Candidates: NFC North

NFL: NFL Rumors: Ndamukong Suh, Sean Payton, Sunday Ticket

FULL PRESS BETS: Early 2022 NFL MVP Odds: Bills’ Josh Allen Favored

FANTASY FOOTBALL: Fantasy Football Value Picks In Every Round

PODCAST: Full Press NFL Weekly Ep 39: Ep 39: Quarterback Contracts, Hill vs Adams, Top 5 QB

Their schedule is favorable this season. In their week 1 matchup against Rice the PicksforTonight college football ATS computer picks model has the Trojans easily covering the spread. Their 2022 slate ranks 66th in the country according to ESPN FPI in terms of remaining strength. The Trojans out of conference games are headlined, as they are nearly every year, by a Thanksgiving weekend matchup with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the LA Memorial Coliseum. The Irish have a new coach of their own in Marcus Freeman after Brian Kelly departed for the LSU job, and this rivalry feels primed for a renewal similar to the Pete Carroll-Charlie Weis days not so long ago.

Fresno State also travels to Los Angeles this year for the first time since 2019 and is projected to win 8.5 games in 2022. They will not be a walkover, but USC will likely be sizable favorites on their home field unless early matchups against Rice and Stanford should indicate otherwise.

In terms of Pac 12 opponents, an October 15th date with Utah on the road looks to be one of the more severe tests the Trojans will face this season. The Utes are coming off a conference championship-winning campaign in which three of their four losses came against non-Pac 12 opponents, including a 48-45 defeat to Ohio State in a thrilling Rose Bowl Game. They won at USC by 16 points in 2021, and will again prove difficult to beat as Riley’s staff and players look to live up to expectations in their first season together.

UCLA hosts USC in 2022 as well. The Bruins trounced the Trojans away from home last year by nearly 30 points, another team that took full advantage of USC going through a difficult season. They are also projected for just under double-digit victories in 2022 according to oddsmakers. All eyes will be on these two teams when they finally face off and one of their last matchups against each other in the PAC 12, the scouts will also have their eyes on this game as there are sure to be more than a few high level NFL picks playing against each other. Chip Kelly’s team brings back star quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who surely would love to end his college career with a winning record against the Trojans after going 2-2 in four previous meetings.

These three games will likely determine whether Lincoln Riley and company are able to eclipse the 10-win mark in their inaugural season in Los Angeles, and stand to either clear the path for them to play for a conference championship and potentially earn a playoff berth, or deflate the Trojans hopes and make for a sour offseason after high expectations in 2022. That said, it’s safe to say that the program has gotten the spark it hoped for in hiring Riley to lead them in a new direction, and it will be fun to watch the new-look USC program compete this season.

Do you think you know how the USC Trojans season will look like? Then why not place a wager on it and win some cash just be sure if you do sign up for a new sportsbook you take advantage of the new users bonusesfrom the books so you can play for free!