USC Trojans and Lincoln Riley undefeated against SEC teams in 2024

The National Championship game is set with the Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten conference facing the Notre Dame fighting the Irishan independent school. One talk this college football season has been about the strength of the SEC.

Despite the discussion about other conferences not being able to beat SEC teams, Ohio State, Notre Dame, USC, Michigan and Illinois are 8-1 against the SEC conference this season. The only defeat occurred on September 7 when the Texas Longhorns defeated the Michigan Wolverines, 31-12.

The first win against an SEC opponent for the USC Trojans It was in Week 1 of the season. The Trojans defeated the LSU Tigers. The Tigers were favored by 4.5 points and USC was eliminated. At the time, USC was ranked 23rd, while LSU was ranked 13th.

“That’s how we fought throughout the game. We didn’t, we didn’t deliver too many explosives,” Riley said after the win against LSU. “It was fun to get the win today. Obviously, opportunities like this don’t come up every day when, you know, a high-profile opponent, obviously, is all the exciting stuff leading up to the game. So I’m glad we took advantage of it.”

The win over LSU provided hope for USC’s season. With the departure of chicago bears attacking player Caleb Williamsthe Trojans were discarded. It was a big win for the USC coach. lincoln riley and the Trojans, who started the season 2-0.

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The Trojans finished the regular season with a disappointing 6-6 record. It was not the year that was expected based on the beginning. The Trojans made a quarterback switch from Miller Moss to Jayden Maiava and there were questions surrounding Riley’s coaching. Despite the disappointment, USC earned six wins to become bowl eligible.

The Trojans finished the season the way they started, at Allegient Stadium against an SEC opponent. In the Last Vegas Bowl, USC faced the Texas A&M Aggies 7-5. The Trojans entered the game as 3.5 point underdogs and came out with a 35-31 point victory.

The Aggies had a three-point lead, but the Trojans fought until the end to secure the victory.

“I’m just incredibly proud of this group, of the resilience that they showed. I told you there’s a toughness developing within this program right now. I think you can see a lot of different points throughout this season and certainly tonight and you see that. and there’s a lot of excitement about it,” Riley said after the win.

This was USC’s second straight bowl game win under Riley, once again providing hope for the future. USC was left without many starters between the transfer portal, preparation for the draft and injuries. While there are questions and needs for USC’s future, Riley still led his team to a tough victory.

The Trojans’ offense orchestrated a winning campaign against both SEC teams despite being underdogs in both games. Heading into 2025, the USC Trojans do not have a scheduled SEC opponent, but could face one again in the postseason.