USC, LSU face similarities and critical Year 3s for Lincoln Riley, Brian Kelly - ESPN

THE ANNOUNCEMENTS CAME 37 hours apart in November 2021, two coaching hires — and abrupt departures — that rocked college football and would forever bind USC's Lincoln Riley and LSU's Brian Kelly.

Riley and Kelly left two programs that nobody leaves, Oklahoma and Notre Dame, respectively, for the chance to pursue national championships with the Trojans and Tigers. They haven't had much of a chance to reflect on their moves, at least with one another, although the time will eventually come.

«We get like 20 seconds to talk to each other as we're passing through hallways,» Kelly told ESPN. «But certainly if we did have a chance, it would probably be the first thing that we would talk about, and laugh about it now. We wouldn't have laughed about it then.»

The midfield logo at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday in Las Vegas might be the perfect place for Kelly and Riley to recount how they reached their current jobs, what has happened since their historic moves and what comes next. Kelly and Riley will share a field as No. 13 LSU and No. 23 USC begin the season in the Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic (7:30 ET, ABC).

The way both coaches came into their roles is among a supersized set of similarities between USC and LSU as Year 3 begins for Riley and Kelly. Both have had moderate success, including division titles in their first seasons, but are still searching for their first College Football Playoff appearances with USC and LSU.

«There's a lot of parallels between the two groups,» Riley told ESPN at Big Ten media days. «There is a lot to it.»

Both have mentored the past two Heisman Trophy winners in USC's Caleb Williams (2022) and LSU's Jayden Daniels, who became the first two picks in April's NFL draft. Riley and Kelly will turn to