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Speaker 1: unexpected accident in your life. This is a paid advertisement. Well,
Speaker 1: you know there are many that claim simply because of
Speaker 1: my proximity to the University of Southern California that I
Speaker 1: am a Trojan Homer. Well, these claims, egregious as they are,
Speaker 1: also took place when I worked at another sports company
Speaker 1: thirty five hundred miles away. I will admit that I
Speaker 1: was a Pac twelve fan growing up, and I've always
Speaker 1: rooted for the top dog in the Pac twelve to
Speaker 1: represent my region of the country where I was born
Speaker 1: and now live in. USC. Oregon and Washington have been
Speaker 1: the teams in my lifetime. When they're really, really good,
Speaker 1: they can at least buy for a national championship. And
Speaker 1: so I'm just going to lean into it and give
Speaker 1: you a little fifteen minute season preview. I know this
Speaker 1: is primarily for LA peeps, but for you Big ten
Speaker 1: fans now as the Trojans join the conference, I think
Speaker 1: I have pretty good access to that program. I've been
Speaker 1: talking with people today on the phone. So I think
Speaker 1: schedules are really important for good teams, not nearly as
Speaker 1: important for great teams. I think Ohio State, Oregon, Georgia,
Speaker 1: Alabama are just going to win a lot of games, period,
Speaker 1: regardless of where they're played. USC will not be a
Speaker 1: great team. They're too young offensively, they're too thin offensively
Speaker 1: and on the d line to be a great team.
Speaker 1: But let's start with their schedule. They got several huge breaks.
Speaker 1: Ohio State and Oregon best two teams in the Big
Speaker 1: Ten in my opinion. Not on the schedule Penn State
Speaker 1: Notre Dame. To me, arguably two of the top three
Speaker 1: teams on their schedule are at home an LSU neutral field,
Speaker 1: but in Vegas, closer to the west. That's a break
Speaker 1: that is a scheduling break. In fact, the only part
Speaker 1: of USC schedule that's a bad break is the Nebraska game,
Speaker 1: which is scheduled in between two rivals, Washington and UCLA.
Speaker 1: I think USC is better than all three of those teams,
Speaker 1: but sandwich games are killers. USC, if you go to
Speaker 1: the last decade, is often played very poorly before the
Speaker 1: UCLA game or the Notre Dame game. So Washington in Seattle,
Speaker 1: UCLA in southern California right smack dab in the middle.
Speaker 1: Is a very clever head coach Matt Ruhle, and a
Speaker 1: Nebraska team I think is underrated, undervalued, that's got upset
Speaker 1: loss written all over it. Outside of that, though, a
Speaker 1: lot of the go either way games, Penn State Notre Dame.
Speaker 1: You know LSU. They don't have to go on the road,
Speaker 1: so that's a scheduling break and no Buckeyes or Ducks,
Speaker 1: and they are not as good as those teams. I
Speaker 1: think USC is too young and thin on offense to
Speaker 1: be great, and not talented enough on the defensive line
Speaker 1: to be great. Let's talk about the offense. So they've
Speaker 1: got four sophomores who will get a majority of the
Speaker 1: reps at wide receiver. All of them talented, branch, Deuce Robinson,
Speaker 1: Lemon Lane, unique body types, some more possession than others.
Speaker 1: Deuce Robinson's a great baseball prospect, tight end, hybrid wide receiver.
Speaker 1: They put him out wide. They're tough matchups, a lot
Speaker 1: of different body types. All sophomores are really really good
Speaker 1: four and five star prospects. Not a lot of depth
Speaker 1: behind them, but I think they'll get a majority of
Speaker 1: the snaps. All are capable of beating coverage. I think
Speaker 1: Miller Moss is very coachable. They'll be less ad lit,
Speaker 1: will look more like a Lincoln Riley offense. Now what
Speaker 1: do we know about him? He was dominant against a
Speaker 1: pretty uninspired Louisville team in a bowl game, where those
Speaker 1: young receivers flourished. The offensive line again really talented, a
Speaker 1: lot of four star recruits. Elijah Page left tackle. They
Speaker 1: flipped him from Notre Dame at the very last second.
Speaker 1: He's a red shirt freshman. I think he's their second
Speaker 1: most talented offensive lineman to Manheim, who will be one
Speaker 1: of the top five centers in the country. He's moved
Speaker 1: around the offensive line. I think he anchors it at center.
Speaker 1: I couldn't say the last time USC had a really
Speaker 1: high end NFL caliber first or second round center been
Speaker 1: a while, and Mannheim will anchor it. Page at left
Speaker 1: tackle is exceptional, but young. Everywhere across that line, it's
Speaker 1: sophomoror's red shirt freshman. Some actual decent depth on the interior,
Speaker 1: but most of it unproven. But again, these were highly
Speaker 1: acclaimed prospects that USC beat out bigger schools or big schools,
Speaker 1: big brands, and so I've been told the coaches like
Speaker 1: what they see up front, but this offense is not
Speaker 1: deep at running back, talented, not deep at tight end,
Speaker 1: not that talented, and not that deep. So it's not
Speaker 1: going to be a dynamic offense like we've seen the
Speaker 1: last couple of years. But I think it can be
Speaker 1: at times of ball control offense. I think there were
Speaker 1: times last year with Caleb Williams that the staff didn't
Speaker 1: want to get him hurt. Once the national championship was
Speaker 1: out of reach, there were some calls they wouldn't make.
Speaker 1: You know, Caleb was running for his life breakdowns on
Speaker 1: the offensive line. I can tell you the staff really
Speaker 1: likes the talent level of this offensive line. They were
Speaker 1: greatly disappointed in last year's unit. But again, it's a
Speaker 1: really really there's a lot of stuff here. Body type, speed,
Speaker 1: dynamic running backs. Just then, and I've said this before,
Speaker 1: Jim Harbaugh could double Brady Hoaks wins the first year
Speaker 1: at Michigan. Brian Kelly could do the same at Notre Dame.
Speaker 1: But those teams really didn't look like a Georgia or
Speaker 1: a Bama or an Ohio State until about year six
Speaker 1: for Harbaugh, year six for Brian Kelly. USC fooled a
Speaker 1: lot of people. With Caleb Williams, they were a play
Speaker 1: from twelve wins the first year. They were not an
Speaker 1: eleven win team. Oh that may have been their record,
Speaker 1: but it was a lot of Caleb Williams, Jordan Addison
Speaker 1: and You know, people in the Pac twelve didn't know
Speaker 1: what to make a Lincoln Riley. I had never faced
Speaker 1: him before. He had a competitive advantage. Last year came
Speaker 1: back down to earth Miller Moss more than capable, four
Speaker 1: star kid, good body, size, decent arm, willing to throw
Speaker 1: the ball down the field. I think he'll be really strong,
Speaker 1: but it will be a different offense, maybe less ad libbing,
Speaker 1: a little less risk, taking more of it in the pocket.
Speaker 1: But I think they're going to score high twenties, low
Speaker 1: thirties on most saturdays. Defensively, the secondary, due to transfers
Speaker 1: and good recruiting, is about as deep and about as
Speaker 1: talented as I remember it. Even during Pete Carroll's great years,
Speaker 1: corner was kind of a soft spot. You know, Pete
Speaker 1: did so well at linebacker, defensive line, skilled players, offensively built,
Speaker 1: great staffs, Norm Chow, Sark Lane Kiffen, But Pete's teams
Speaker 1: weren't great at corner. This team's actually got size and
Speaker 1: depth and speed and experience at both safety and corner.
Speaker 1: I think it's the strongest part of the team. I
Speaker 1: really do the back end. I also think they have
Speaker 1: some depth. Finally, for the first time in years at
Speaker 1: linebacker and a couple of their If you go to
Speaker 1: this past year's recruiting class, they'll be special teamers. But
Speaker 1: they've got some young true freshman at linebacker won't get
Speaker 1: a ton of snaps in games. They also have some
Speaker 1: commitments going ahead. It was a unit that has been
Speaker 1: down at USC for years. I think it will be
Speaker 1: a stronger linebacking corps. They do not have the size
Speaker 1: where Alexander has an NFL body. He's hit and miss
Speaker 1: when it comes to effort. I think they'll have a
Speaker 1: decent edge rush more talent there. I don't think they
Speaker 1: have the depth of the size of the talent on
Speaker 1: the interior. I think they'll get pushed around a little
Speaker 1: bit by LSU and the opener, by Penn State and
Speaker 1: by Notre Dame at various times in the season. But
Speaker 1: I think the biggest upgrade to this entire staff is
Speaker 1: the defensive coaches. Whenever you leave a program Nick Saban
Speaker 1: leaves Michigan State to LSU, Hey, guys, who's getting on
Speaker 1: the plane. Who's getting on that Boosters jet or that
Speaker 1: school jet and flying to the new job. Whoever gets
Speaker 1: on that jet on your staff, You're not going to
Speaker 1: move their family for one year. There may be guys
Speaker 1: getting on that jet that you wouldn't have chosen, but
Speaker 1: Alex Grinch got on that jet. As a defensive coordinator
Speaker 1: for USC, and Lincoln Riley was disappointed after year one
Speaker 1: suffered greatly. In year two, they have significantly paid for
Speaker 1: and upgraded the defensive staff. I talked to two people
Speaker 1: that have been at practice this week and they said
Speaker 1: they think the defense, especially early in the season, will
Speaker 1: lead the team. It will not be the offense. The
Speaker 1: offense is young. The feeling with USC is the offense
Speaker 1: will get better as the season progresses, but it will
Speaker 1: be the defense initially that carries the team. And that's
Speaker 1: hopeful because Michigan is very early in the season. In
Speaker 1: the first month, they are really rebuilding that offense. LSU
Speaker 1: lost two world class college receivers and an excellent number
Speaker 1: two pick in the draft, jad and Daniels at quarterback,
Speaker 1: and this LSU program, like USC, can't get their defense right.
Speaker 1: So facing LSU first game a bit of a break,
Speaker 1: they could be really good. I don't think they'll be
Speaker 1: great early, and I don't think USC offensively will be
Speaker 1: a great team early. That'll grow, but I think what
Speaker 1: I'm hearing and what I'm seeing in a camp from
Speaker 1: people I really trust is the defense has really come together.
Speaker 1: It's been simplified, has been an elevation of coaching. And
Speaker 1: when I looked over the schedule today, I said, LSU's
Speaker 1: a coin flip. They're favored LSU by six, so let's
Speaker 1: say it's a loss. I think they beat Ustah State, Michigan,
Speaker 1: and Wisconsin, and at Minnesota. I think they lose to
Speaker 1: Penn State. I think they beat Maryland, Rutgers and a
Speaker 1: close one over Washington Washington in a complete offensive rebuild,
Speaker 1: though I do think Jed Fish is a really talented
Speaker 1: offensive coach. Nebraska, I'll put that as a loss. It's
Speaker 1: a sandwich game. They beat UCLA, lose the Notre Dame.
Speaker 1: So I have four losses, eight wins, and that's kind
Speaker 1: of That's kind of where the DraftKings in Vegas has them.
Speaker 1: I think the offense by the end of the year
Speaker 1: will be very hopeful. I think the defense initially will
Speaker 1: stand out as a major upgrade. But I've tried to
Speaker 1: pump the brakes for all the people that are critical
Speaker 1: of Lincoln Riley. First of all, there's a lot of
Speaker 1: good news at USC The collective may not be Texas
Speaker 1: or Oregon, but it's around thirteen thirteen and a half million.
Speaker 1: And if they if they beat LSU if it feels
Speaker 1: very good. Up to that Penn State game, which is
Speaker 1: a toughie. Penn State is to me the third most
Speaker 1: talented team of the conference, behind Oregon and Ohio State.
Speaker 1: It's at home, it's the coliseum, but it's a tough one.
Speaker 1: You know, that collective may improve fans boosters. Donors can
Speaker 1: be fickle based on moment of the program. Momentum of
Speaker 1: the program, so you know, I think there's the collectives good.
Speaker 1: I think Jen Cohn and Lincoln Riley have some symmetry.
Speaker 1: Now may have been bumpy early, they have some symmetry.
Speaker 1: I think the defensive staff has been upgraded. I think
Speaker 1: the freshman class that just came arrived here in fall
Speaker 1: camp has some real size in the defensive front. It's
Speaker 1: going to be a lot of special teams guys and
Speaker 1: red shirting, but there's some promising size on the interior
Speaker 1: of the defensive line. And I think I think Miller
Speaker 1: Moss is going to surprise people. Miller's a guy that
Speaker 1: I had been in a conversation with him and a
Speaker 1: friend about a year ago, and you know, it was
Speaker 1: tough for him that he was considering transferring. But it
Speaker 1: had gone through his mind that he knew he wasn't
Speaker 1: going to play much at all last year, and it
Speaker 1: was tough for him. He was a very ballyhooed local recruit.
Speaker 1: But I think he was smart to stick it out.
Speaker 1: I think he's talented, and I think he saw it
Speaker 1: against Louisville. And again, he's a risk taker. He's not
Speaker 1: going to play it safe. He'll let it rip. But
Speaker 1: I think the offense will look different. It will look
Speaker 1: more conventional, it will look a bit maybe more predictable,
Speaker 1: less out of the pocket, and that's okay. I felt,
Speaker 1: you know, I said this with Matt Lafleur and the
Speaker 1: Green Bay Packers, with Aaron Rodgers, it felt like a
Speaker 1: fifty to fifty split half Matt's offense half errand last
Speaker 1: year with Jordan Love, I felt like it was Matt
Speaker 1: Lafluur's offense at the end of last year, mid to
Speaker 1: the end of the year, I thought it was Caleb's offense,
Speaker 1: right right. I thought the first year was a combination
Speaker 1: of Caleb and Lincoln. I thought there were times last
Speaker 1: year it kind of felt like Caleb was doing what
Speaker 1: Caleb wanted to do. And as we've seen in the preseason,
Speaker 1: that's okay, that's not Miller Moss. But I think it'll
Speaker 1: take a step back in terms of being dynamic, but
Speaker 1: it'll work. Still contend that Lincoln Riley's one of the
Speaker 1: smartest offensive coaches in football. Is he a great culture
Speaker 1: builder staff builder? That's yet to be seen. But the
Speaker 1: expectations off that first eleven win season, which could have
Speaker 1: easily been twelve if they hold the lead in the
Speaker 1: last forty five seconds against Tulane, raised the bar beyond
Speaker 1: reasonable expectations. Third year at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh wanted only
Speaker 1: eight games and they were losing a Michigan State and
Speaker 1: getting clubbed by Ohio State. This stuff takes time. The
Speaker 1: idea that the transfer portal is this magic elixer. Go
Speaker 1: ask Deon Sanders, Brian Kelly or Lincoln Riley you can improve.
Speaker 1: First of all, people that leave programs, there's usually a reason,
Speaker 1: mostly except quarterbacks. Quarterbacks generally they're going to go find
Speaker 1: the best coach available, the best receivers available. A lot
Speaker 1: of receive a lot of quarterback moves in college football.
Speaker 1: I get they're upgrading to better coaches and better programs,
Speaker 1: but a lot of transfers in the transfer portal, nobody's
Speaker 1: lose nunny sleep when they leave. I mean, if you're
Speaker 1: a USC fan, look at all the players that have
Speaker 1: transferred out of USC. How many stars did you lose?
Speaker 1: Super valuable players? You know, players transfer when they're not
Speaker 1: playing or when they're unhappy with their situation. So I
Speaker 1: think there's limitations on cultural development chemistry. You know, Jordan,
Speaker 1: Addison and Caleb were obviously home runs. Who's the third
Speaker 1: best transfer they've had? Seriously, So I think I think Brian,
Speaker 1: Dion and Lincoln are all sensing that high school recruiting
Speaker 1: has to be the backbone of your program. So there
Speaker 1: you go, say it again. Lose close to LSU, close
Speaker 1: to Penn State, Notre Dame in that sandwich game against Nebraska,
Speaker 1: but I see eight wins, don't get into the playoff,
Speaker 1: But you'll feel good when the season ends. The offense
Speaker 1: is young, getting better, you got your quarterback, and the
Speaker 1: defense finally has the legitimate coaching staff.
Speaker 2: The volume, Hey, what's up everybody? John middlecoff here for
Speaker 2: the Three and Out podcasts. The NFL season is right
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