USC drops epic hype video for Lincoln Riley's first season
The season is nearly upon us. We’ve made it through our last Saturday without Pac-12 football until December. On Sept. 3, USC opens a new season against Rice, and a new era with head coach Lincoln Riley roaming the sidelines inside the L.A. Coliseum.
In advance of that, USC dropped a truly epic hype video Sunday night. It showcases commentary from a number of pundits —including FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt praising Riley’s offensive acumen — highlights from legendary USC teams of the past, and practice footage from camp.
You can also hear Riley saying, “If you want to have a championship program, if you want to truly compete and be at the top, you better have a locker room that’s about that.”
The next chapter of our story starts now. 🎬✌️ @lincolnriley pic.twitter.com/BzLU34i1Km
— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) August 29, 2022
Riley joined the program last winter. Since, he has elevated the talent level significantly and restored expectations to a “championship or bust” level.
USC brought quarterback Caleb Williams, wideout Jordan Addison, running back Travis Dye, and linebacker Shane Lee to Los Angeles, all from the transfer portal, to headline a 2022 signing class that was one of the best in college football. The rapid talent influx has the Trojans ranked 14th nationally in the preseason AP poll on the heels of a 4-8 campaign in 2021.
The Trojans currently have the fourth-best odds to win the 2022 College Football Playoff national championship.
“You don’t come to USC and you don’t come to Los Angeles to do things small. You’ve got to set your sights big,” Riley said at Pac-12 Media Day. “The people we brought in here, the staff we brought in here, we didn’t come here to play for second. We are not wired that way. We came here competitively to win championships, win them now, and to win them for a long time. That will always be our expectation.”
The Riley Era begins next Saturday, at home, against Rice. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Network.