USC versus Indiana is the kind of game which reminds us why we care about sports and, more specifically, college football. This is a late-season, mid-November battle in which reputations will be defined and months of offseason preparations will either be revealed as fruitful or futile. This is a game which either changes everything for Lincoln Riley or reminds us how little has changed over five years. Lincoln Riley versus Curt Cignetti with everything on the line is a defining moment in the Big Ten season and in Riley's USC tenure.
The great thing about USC versus Indiana is that there's simply no room for a middle-ground result, an outcome which is good or satisfying for both sides. A close loss for USC means absolutely nothing. Lincoln Riley
has to get over the hump. "Almost" is something USC fans have been witnessing and reading about for five years. Falling just short of the playoff won't offer any added comfort to Trojan fans. It's time to knock the door down, not to arrive at the doorstep and ring the doorbell without getting entry into the mansion known as the College Football Playoff.
For Indiana and Curt Cignetti, a season defined by mediocre football will feel like a disaster and real slippage if the Hoosiers lose to USC by even the smallest possible margin. Curt Cignetti established himself as the gold standard in the sport the past two seasons. Losing his identity as the king of college football would hurt very deeply. Losing that identity against a coach who is known for failing in Big Ten road games would add to Indiana's pain if the Hoosiers lose.
There is only success. There is no reward for a good effort or a valiant performance. This is a bottom-line game in which Lincoln Riley has to finally conquer his Big Ten road woes and beat the man most regard as the best in the business. Riley either achieves a spectacular success which changes the conversation at USC, or he sinks into the same familiar pit of failure we have seen far too frequently since the 2022 Pac-12 Championship Game.
USC. Indiana. This is why we watch. This is why we care.
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This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Curt Cignetti represents gold standard Lincoln Riley hasn't reached
