3 new head coaches who could reach College Football Playoff in 2022

Lincoln Riley, USC

I totally understand that college football fans are pretty getting a little tired of all the hype surrounding Lincoln Riley and USC, but it’s hard to ignore what he’s done in a short time there.

Obviously, hasn’t coached a game on the field at USC. Yet, the recruits and the talent he’s brought with him to Southern California have been remarkable.

Riley has landed a five-star quarterback in the transfer portal, as well as another in the 2023 recruiting class. Oh, and he’s also got the Trojans leading early for 2024’s No. 1 quarterback.

The Trojans also added a bunch of veterans in the transfer portal including Mario Williams (WR, Oklahoma), Brenden Rice (WR, Colorado), Latrell McCutchin (CB, Oklahoma), Shane Lee (LB, Alabama), and Travis Dye (RB, Oregon) among others.

Plus, five-star cornerback Domani Jackson should be able to make an immediate impact, as should top-100 wide receiver C.J. Williams and five-star running back Raleek Brown.

When you combine all that talent with the coaching pedigree of Riley, who has won multiple conference championships in the Big 12 and led the Sooners to multiple playoff appearances, it feels like USC is ready for a quick turnaround.

That will only be aided by a favorable schedule. The Trojans’ toughest games on the road are at Stanford and Utah. There is no Oregon on the schedule and Notre Dame comes to L.A.

If USC could reach the Pac-12 title game as a one-loss team, it would probably have a solid chance of making the playoff and with Caleb Williams playing quarterback and all the other talent on that roster, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. At all.