(Photo: allegiantstadium.com)
Intriguing Game- NCAA Football, Week One
(23) USC Trojans at (13) LSU Tigers
USC: When Lincoln Riley took this job, I was excited about this hire because he was the right guy to restore this program. Let’s face the facts, this is far from the team we saw in the mid-2000s with Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, LenDale White, and Pete Carroll as they’ve had their struggles. 2022 was the best I had seen them look in quite some time. If there’s one thing about Lincoln, he will always have one of the best offenses in the country. Look what he did in Norman with the Oklahoma Sooners. They were able to outscore and outrun just about anyone. The downfall with his teams is always defense, well the lack of defense. Could you imagine if any Riley-coached team had as much defensive power as they do offense? This could be the best team in college football if that were to happen. I will still give him his flowers though because he’s sent three Heisman-winning Quarterbacks into the NFL who were all number one picks in their draft classes (Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Caleb Williams). The USC Trojans are a blue blood and when they’re good, it’s great for the sport. This is going to be an interesting year for them. Many members of last season’s team were either drafted or transferred out which means they will be replacing about 43.5 percent of their roster from last season. Also, this will be their first year as members of the Big Ten after all the realignment in the sport took place during the off-season. On Sunday night, they will battle Brian Kelly and the Tigers from Baton Rouge.
LSU: For the second time in four seasons, the Heisman Trophy went back to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Jayden Daniels won the award and deservedly so. He was the catalyst of the highest-scoring offense in college football and finished the year with 50 total touchdowns and rushed for over 1,000 yards. If they didn’t lose the games they did, this could’ve been a playoff team, especially if they were consistent on the defensive side. This is year three for Brian Kelly in Baton Rouge and I like what he’s building there. This is a future Hall of Famer and the only thing he needs to solidify that is that elusive championship. If the Tigers want to be taken seriously, I feel this is the year for them to take that next step and I think securing a spot in the now expanded College Football Playoff will depend on a few things. One is establishing more of a consistent ground game to pair along with what should be another prolific passing attack and improving the defense most importantly. They’d be top-12 material if they’re able to fix those two without question. The offense will be much different now. Jayden is a Washington Commander and the offense will now be in the hands of Garrett Nussmeier. He will be more of a pocket passer. The shining star of this defense is Harold Perkins Jr and he reminds me so much of a former LSU Tiger in Devin White. It’s a brand new season and they will open their year in Las Vegas for a neutral showdown.
USC X-Factor: Bear Alexander- He’s such a force in the middle of that defensive line. Honestly, he may have been the only shining point for this defense in 2023. Bear plays with a highly-revved-up motor, he has very violent and quick hands along with a good first snap off the snap of the football. He’s that lane eater that can get home to impact the pocket. These days, you see more interior guys developing a pass rush from the interior of the line. I look for Bear to make his mark and have an impact not just in this game, but throughout the season.
LSU X-Factor: Kyren Lacy– He played behind Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. for most of last year. This year, he will have more responsibility and I could see Kyren having a breakout year in 2024. He’s that slippery route runner who prides himself on running his routes with precision and consistency. In space, he knows how to maneuver himself and move his way through traffic with the ball in his hands. LSU is known as “Wide Receiver U”. Look at all the names that have played the position for the program. Odell, Jarvis Landry, Justin Jefferson, and Ja’Marr Chase to name a few.
Final Thoughts: This is an exciting match-up. I feel these are two coaches who are each looking to get over the hump and win their first playoff game. Could you imagine all the storylines and if both Caleb and Jayden were still playing for these programs? We’d be predicting a shootout more than likely! I expect LSU to attempt to run the football early on until Nussmeier gets comfortable with his receivers. USC on the other side will also be starting a new Quarterback in Miller Moss. I’ll be paying attention to this Trojans defense and will they at least try? Back to the Tigers, I expect them to click nicely on both sides of the ball. LSU will also be improved on the defensive side of the ball against a Trojans offense lacking experience at key positions. I’m picking LSU to kick their year off with a win in week one.
Prediction: LSU 38, USC 21
