What the USC Trojans are doing, starting in 2022-23 reminds me of how Golden State took major advantage of a market correction to add Kevin Durant and go to three straight NBA Finals, winning two of them.
NIL became a reality, opening up the transfer portal to major movement. Television packages were coming to an end as well. And here we have the glamor school of Los Angeles and college football taking advantage of the moment.
They hired arguably the best offensive college football mind in the country to lead their program. They were able to attract marquee talent through the portal, which also adds to their ability to recruit with the best of them.
Soon they’ll be joining the Big-Ten, further adding to the allure of the program.
A once proud program during the Pete Carroll years is well positioned to reclaim their spot among the pantheon of college football teams.
The question for this year though, with all the talent and attention and noise coming through the front door, can they get their act together in time to compete for both a conference and division championship?
2022 USC Trojans NCAA Football Futures Odds
- Odds to win the 2022-23 NCAA Championship: 20/1
- Odds to win the 2022 Pac-12 Conferences: +220
- 2022 Regular Season Win Total: Over 9½ (-135)
- Odds to Make the Playoffs: Yes +425 | No -700
- 2022 Heisman Contenders: Caleb Williams +550, Jordan Addison +8000 & Travis Dye +10000
- Official website: usctrojans.com
- Twitter Account : @uscfootball
Odds to win the 2022-23 NCAA Championship: 20/1
These are by far the lowest odds we’ve seen among the teams ranked in this area of the top-25. And it only starts with Lincoln Riley. It continues with the ability to attract his quarterback at Oklahoma, Caleb Williams who was mostly dynamite once he took over mid-way through the season, completing 65% of his passes and throwing and running for a combined 27 touchdowns.
USC already had the best offense in the PAC-12 last year by yardage, now they add the Biletnikoff Winner in WR Jordan Addison and another Oklahoma star in the making in WR Mario Williams to power up the passing game.
And finally, they bring in one of the best running backs in the country and steal him from a direct rival, with Travis Dye coming from Oregon.
If the defense -which was weak last year- does its part and they succeed at blocking out the noise, the overall talent makes them worthy.
The Verdict: Worth a bet
Odds to win the 2022 PAC-12 Conference: +220
They are the favorites to win the Pac-12 and they should be.
Talking about the defense for a moment, it also helps that Riley was able to bring in his defensive coordinator from Oklahoma, Alex Grinch to help rebuild the fourth worst defense in the conference last year.
They have Tuli Tuipulotu on the line to be a major disruptor up the middle and transfers coming in at all three levels of the defense to add depth.
The Verdict: Worth a bet
2022 Regular Season Win Total: Over 9½ (-135)
There are very few coaches who can be difference makers in their first year, but Riley is an exception to the rule.
This team has all the talent to be one of the best in the nation and a coach who should help get them there.
They also don’t have Oregon to contend with and a pretty soft schedule. This team should be 6-0 before they go to defending champion Utah. After that it’s another soft landing against Arizona, California and Colorado before the final two against UCLA and Notre Dame.
Ten wins needs to be the minimum expectation for this all-star collection of talent, even if it’s still year one of a new era.
The Verdict: Over 9½ (-135)
Odds to Make the Playoffs: Yes +425 | No -700
The ceiling, if all the pieces come together on offense is for this to be one of the best teams in the country. It’s all hype until they prove it on the field, but the soft schedule to help get things figured out also helps for when the quality of the opposition and the pressure increases.
The Verdict: Yes +425
2022 Heisman Contenders: Caleb Williams +550, Jordan Addison +8000 & Travis Dye +10000
Caleb Williams exploded onto the scene last year as a freshman. He knows the offense that Riley wants to run and he has more talent to work with. I also like his ability to both run and pass and he’s helped by the fact that 10 of the last 12 winners have been quarterbacks.
The Verdict: Worth a bet
Jordan Addison is the reigning Biletnikoff winner, yet he didn’t rank in the top-10 in Heisman finalists. You know who did? His quarterback, Kenny Pickett who finished third.
The Verdict: Skip it
Travis Dye should be able to post a huge year with all the attention being paid to the passing game. That makes him an intriguing underdog. Still, there’s been only one running back winner in the past 12 years. To me, it’s not worth it, but making a small wager is understandable at these massive odds.
The Verdict: Skip it
Odds According to Bovada as of August, 2022
USC Trojans 2022 Schedule
| SEASON | |||
| Date | Time | Opponent | TV |
| 3-Sep | 6:00 p.m. | Rice* | P12N |
| 10-Sep | 7:30 p.m. | at Stanford | ABC |
| 17-Sep | 10:30 p.m. | Fresno State* | FOX |
| 24-Sep | TBD | at Oregon State | |
| 1-Oct | TBD | Arizona State | |
| 8-Oct | TBD | Washington State | |
| 15-Oct | TBD | at Utah | |
| 29-Oct | TBD | at Arizona | |
| 5-Nov | TBD | California | |
| 11-Nov | 9:30 p.m. | Colorado | FS1 |
| 19-Nov | TBD | at UCLA | |
| 26-Nov | TBD | Notre Dame* | |
Home stadium: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
*Non-conference game – All times are in Eastern time
Bet on the USC Trojans 2022 Season at Bovada Sportsbook.
