New Quarterbacks And Defensive Coordinators For USC And LSU

USC vs. LSU, 7:30 ET

We were able to record the first victory of the young College Football season on Thursday as we barely squeaked over the total in the Colorado vs. North Dakota State game. In the first quarter both teams were slinging the ball and jumped out to 24 points on the board after a period. I was kind of thinking it was going to be an easy cash. After all, that would, in theory, put them on pace for 96 points. The game slowed down, of course, but a late touchdown run got us over the total and we didn't need the extra point or the missed two-point conversion to save us. Today we go back to the gridiron as USC takes on LSU. 

This USC team is still ranked but it will have a very different feel because they no longer have their "generational" quarterback Caleb Williams orchestrating the offense. It is always hard to replace a quarterback, but college teams do it every season and most programs have a good pipeline of players to step in. The problem with USC isn't likely to be on the offensive side of the football. Last year, their team won games because of their offense and lost them because the defense couldn't stop anyone. Now they are in the Big 10, which is strange enough just because of their physical location, but this is the world of College Football today. Aside from the conference changing, the ball is now handed to Miller Moss to lead the offense. Last season, he did get a start in their win over Louisville and looked great. He was able to throw for 372 yards and six touchdowns, making the loss of Williams a little bit more palatable. The Trojans are bringing in D'Anton Lynn to try and fix whatever is wrong with the defense. I can't tell you it was schemes or anything specific that was wrong with the team last year, because they have talented players on the roster. What I can say is that something needs to change. If they can force a few turnovers, that eliminates a bit of pressure, but they will need to be smart when they take a risk on gambling for a turnover. 

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - NOVEMBER 05: Head coach Brian Kelly of the LSU Tigers reacts against the Alabama Crimson Tide during a game at Tiger Stadium on November 05, 2022 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

LSU is still in the SEC, don't worry. I can't imagine they are going anywhere at any point or likely ever. Speaking of having to find an answer for a quarterback that has since departed, the Tigers need to find an answer for Jayden Daniels (the second overall pick in the NFL draft). Last season the team was number one overall in total offense, but again, that was with a different quarterback. Still, Brian Kelly seems to find ways to make his offenses hum and even with Garrett Nussmeier under center now, the team should have plenty of options for finding the end zone. The running game is probably a bigger concern than the passing game but the offensive line is one of the better ones in college football and should find a way to open some holes no matter who is carrying the ball. Speaking of running the ball, the Tigers allowed opponents to get over 2,000 yards on the ground each of the past two years. They also have a new defensive coordinator and I assume that he will be making an impact on the rushing yards allowed. The passing defense wasn't that much better as they struggled to get their young and talented defensive backs to play to a level they are capable of. 

This one is an interesting matchup as USC and LSU both have so many new pieces coming in here. If you look at the game from a total perspective, both defenses struggle and allow points, so it should be an over. However, both teams also have new quarterbacks and this is the first game they play this season, which makes me think teams will be a bit cautious and the result will be an under. What I do think is that if this game was in LSU, we see a win from them with relative ease. The game is in Las Vegas though, so it is more of a home game for the Trojans than the Tigers. Give me USC with the points. 

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