Lincoln Riley weighs in on USC’s move from the Pac-12 to Big Ten
Notably absent from USC’s press release announcing it has officially applied for membership to and been accepted by the Big Ten was a comment from head football coach Lincoln Riley.
USC athletic director Mike Bohn, in a statement, said the Trojans were better off in the Big Ten given the financial stability that league could provide in a rapidly destabilizing college football landscape. But how does the first-year Trojan head coach feel about the move?
Excited to be a part of this historic move-
Can’t wait-
Fight On! ✌️ https://t.co/4hu2z1BuvV
— Lincoln Riley (@LincolnRiley) July 1, 2022
USC will officially join the Big Ten ahead of the 2024 football season.
Riley will spend two seasons playing against Pac-12 competition before things change in a major way.
The smash mouth, downhill style of the Big Ten will require an adjustment. Now, even more than before, Riley will need to place an emphasis on beefing up his team at the line of scrimmage. Physicality reigns supreme in the Big Ten and the Trojans will no doubt use these next two seasons to adapt the roster in order to smooth the transition from the more spread-out play of the Pac-12 to that of the Big Ten.
Who would have thought just a few months ago that Riley, on a team bound for the SEC, would soon find himself coaching in the Big Ten. The new world of college football changes quickly.