Realistic expectations for USC football in 2024

Lincoln Riley and USC football are facing a difficult task in 2024.

Not only do the Trojans have to replace star quarterback Caleb Williams who was the No. 1 overall pick in this past year's NFL draft, but they have to face a future without him in a brand-new conference with teams like Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State waiting to give them trouble.

The Trojans already had their hands full with Oregon, Washington, and UCLA but now the contenders from the old Big Ten are there to make their jobs even harder.

USC brings back Miller Moss who played well in the Holiday Bowl win over Louisville which gave the Trojans some hope for the future, but filling those Williams-sized shoes won't be easy.

The offense returns five starters including superstar receiver Zachariah Branch who should be one of college football's biggest stars this season. The offense should be the least of the worries as the defense was one of the worst in the country a year ago but thankfully Alex Grinch is gone and he's been replace by D'Anton Lynn.

The defense can't get any worse as it finished 118th in scoring, 116th in rushing, 101st against the pass, and 116th overall. Just horrible. Nowhere to go but up, especially with the No. 20 recruiting class and No. 19 transfer class coming in.

So what are the realistic expectations for this USC team in the Big Ten in 2024?

Looking at the schedule, I see the Trojans dropping their first game right away against LSU in Las Vegas. They'll start 1-2 with a Week 3 loss to Michigan and some hope will be lost. They will bounce back to win the next two before falling at home to Penn State and then rebounding to beat Maryland, Rutgers, Washington, Nebraska, and USC in consecutive games. The Trojans will end the year with a home loss to Notre Dame to finish 8-4.

Is that good enough for Riley and Co.? No, but 2025 will be telling for this program's future.