Notre Dame’s Opponents: New-look USC may be a test-case for rebuilding programs of the future

If USC had not been so bold as to chase Lincoln Riley, there is a very real chance Brian Kelly is still Notre Dame’s head coach heading into this season. Instead, the Trojans successfully wooed Riley, stymying LSU’s hopes of pulling the young coach out of Oklahoma. Thus, the Tigers and Kelly moved quickly to announce an agreement even though the Irish were still rather in the Playoff conversation.

There is a bit more heft to that thought than a usual butterfly effect theory, but it will go down as a piece of the Notre Dame-USC lore, and it is one more piece of proof of how interconnected so much of college football is.

2021 REVIEWThis section of these opposing teams’ previews was always going to matter least with the Trojans. Playing them after Thanksgiving renders any 2021 thoughts outdated by the full coming season.

But in this instance, looking back at 2021 matters even less. USC started the season 1-1, and that blowout loss to Stanford led to the immediate firing of Clay Helton in his sixth year leading the Trojans, not to mention two previous stints as their interim head coach.

USC finished the season 4-8 and then reeled in Riley only hours after it lost to BYU. At that point, the Trojans’ season was not even over, given their matchup with Cal had been postponed due to health and safety protocols. USC lost that, too.

Thus began the great roster transition. Reportedly, 40-some players left the Trojans roster following last season. Riley brought in at least 20 transfers. Never before has the previous season offered so little insight into the coming one.

WHAT USC LOSTSome of those 40 were always going to depart Los Angeles. The time had come for them to jump to the NFL. Namely, receiver Drake London put together one of