USC Football: Why Defeat Vs Bruins May Have Helped Turn Program Around

Matt Levine | Apr 3, 2024

The 2023 USC Trojans had one of the more disappointing years in a long time considering the expectations that were placed on the team entering the year. Coming off almost making the College Football Playoff, the Trojans were picked to reach the postseason tournament but faltered to a record of 8-5, including their bowl game win.

Within the tough season was a bad loss to their cross-town rivals, the UCLA Bruins. While in the moment the loss was hard to swallow, it may have been the best thing for the future of the program.

Matt Zemek of Trojans Wire explained that losing to the Bruins helped the program change its philosophy moving forward.

"Can we take just one minute to realize how much of a blessing it actually was, in hindsight, that UCLA blew the doors off Riley and USC last November? Yes, losing to the Bruins felt awful in the present moment, but if USC had beaten UCLA, would D’Anton Lynn be USC’s defensive coordinator right now? Would Lincoln Riley have changed his philosophy and overall approach in ways which are clearly benefiting the Trojans? Sometimes, things need to get worse before they can get better. That’s the UCLA loss’s value in a nutshell to USC. It shouldn’t be controversial to have to admit that"

After losing to UCLA, the Trojans underwent a major overhaul of their coaching staff, namely on the defensive side of the ball. The program poached former Bruins' defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn to the same position, giving them a star in the making at the position.

The Trojans' future looks much more bright than it did when the season ended months ago. They had a plan to revamp the entire idea of the program and made it happen. USC is looking for a much more impactful season this year, so the hope is that their changes reflect their performance on the field.