LOS ANGELES – The vibe is different at Southern California.
The loose, fun-loving Trojans who joked with reporters and shared laughs throughout the summer have been replaced by a far more serious bunch. During this week's media availability, players and coaches often looked as if they were counting down the seconds until it ended.
Call it laser focus. Call it tension. Call it irritation.
Whatever the label, one thing is clear: USC understands the most pivotal stretch of the Lincoln Riley era has arrived.
The No. 12 Trojans host No. 16 Oregon in a West Coast showdown with major College Football Playoff implications for two programs that have repeatedly fallen short of expectations. Win,
and postseason dreams remain intact. Lose, and the questions only grow louder.
“It's definitely an important game. There's no question about it,” Riley said. “That's honestly though, what this game should be.
An important game, yes, but one carrying a much different feeling than it did a few weeks ago.
When the season began, USC-Oregon looked like a measuring-stick matchup between two playoff contenders, with the winner positioning itself as a legitimate title threat.
Now, both teams enter Saturday fighting to keep their seasons, and perhaps their futures, from slipping away.
Oregon had a catastrophic loss to Oklahoma State in Week 2, while quarterback Dante Moore has looked out of sync. Dan Lanning's preseason title contender is already in danger of falling out of the playoff race before September ends.
USC, meanwhile, is a perfect 4-0.
Just don't look too closely beneath the surface.
The Trojans remain undefeated largely because of a favorable schedule, and they still haven't looked like the dominant team Riley touted as his deepest since arriving in Los Angeles.
It starts with a defense that was supposed to be revitalized under new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson. That narrative gained steam after USC shut out Fresno State, but shutting out Fresno State is what USC should do.
The warning signs were there. Rutgers simply exposed them.
A winless Scarlet Knights team that had already lost to longtime struggler UMass went toe-to-toe with USC when the Trojans should have controlled the game, even accounting for the cross-country trip.
The culprit was familiar: USC's defense.
The Trojans surrendered 461 yards and 35 points, allowing Rutgers to do virtually whatever it wanted offensively.
The same concerns that have haunted USC throughout Riley's tenure resurfaced yet again.
The alarm bells are ringing that the defense remains the program's biggest weakness. Riley, however, isn't buying into the criticism.
“I base my opinions on what I see on tape,” he said. “I base my opinions on what I see behind the thousands of hours that we put into this, and that's kind of where my opinions stay.
“I really don't have a response to that. Our job is to win.”
Even at 4-0, the pressure is on USC, not Oregon.
The biggest reason USC has yet to reach the College Football Playoff under Riley is simple: It hasn't won enough big games. The Trojans are just 6-12 against ranked opponents since 2022, and they've developed a particularly troubling habit against Oregon. USC hasn't beaten the Ducks since 2016, dropping four straight meetings, including last season's loss that effectively ended its playoff hopes.
“We haven't paid much attention to that,” USC quarterback Jayden Maiava said. “We're just focused on the game plan and the preparation.”
If there were ever a time for USC to finally solve its Oregon problem, this is it.
The Trojans are supposed to be the best version of Riley's USC yet, while Oregon suddenly looks vulnerable and unable to afford another misstep. But the Ducks have shown they can respond to adversity, and nothing suggests Lanning won't have his team ready to make a statement in Los Angeles.
“It's certainly not just another game. We don't talk about all the scenarios that play out. We worry about the things that we can control,” Lanning said. “But do we think this is a big game? Absolutely. Do our players realize that? Absolutely. It's Big Ten play. That's different, right? All that matters.”
A USC loss wouldn't mathematically end its season. Mentally and emotionally, though, it would put the Trojans on life support.
This program can hardly afford another "here we go again" moment with ranked opposition Washington, Penn State, Ohio State and Indiana still looming on the schedule.
After last season's loss at Autzen Stadium, Riley said the Trojans "weren't quite able to get over the hump." That explanation won't carry much weight if Oregon makes it five straight victories over its West Coast rival. At that point, the criticism will only intensify.
Everything is lined up for USC to finally break through and prove it's more than a perennial contender-in-waiting. The Trojans will have a sold-out Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum behind them, hoping this is the moment the program finally turns the page.
And if it is, maybe the smiles return to Los Angeles.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Everything is lined up for USC football. That's what makes Saturday so dangerous
