Just 2 games into Lincoln Riley era, is USC's offense already one of the best in college football?

USC is loaded at the skill positions, has a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback and is being led by one of the best offensive minds in college football

USC (2-0) moved up to No. 7 in this week’s AP poll after defeating Stanford 41-28 on the road Saturday.

The Trojans’ five first-half touchdowns built a big enough lead to seal the game early on, even though Stanford did score two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, bringing the final score to a closer margin than the game perhaps felt like.

Two games into the 2022 college football season here are three things that stand out about Lincoln Riley's Trojans: 

IT'S NOT A STRETCH TO CALL THIS A TOP 5 OFFENSE

There’s maybe one team in the country that has a receiving room comparable to USC’s, and that’s No. 3 Ohio State, which hasn’t looked as unbeatable as a lot of people were expecting of the Buckeyes this year.

Past that, USC is also loaded at running back, has a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback and is being led by one of the best offensive minds in college football at head coach.

Caleb Williams threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns, completing 20 of his 27 attempts at Stanford. So far, he’s had no trouble finding his many targets in the end zone.

Williams was also named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week. He ranks second in the country in completion percentage and has totaled 671 yards and six touchdowns.

Jordan Addison went for 172 yards and two touchdowns on seven grabs. That’s four touchdowns for him through two games, so he’s on track for another Biletnikoff campaign if he keeps this up.

Among other top contenders, No. 2 Alabama really struggled to move the ball against Texas and easily could have lost that game. No. 1 Georgia thrives off defense and doesn’t possess the same explosive potential as USC offensively.

That leaves only Michigan, Clemson and Oklahoma ranked ahead of the Trojans, and USC is easily more talented than any of those teams.

TURNOVERS HAVE COVERED UP USC'S DEFENSIVE HOLES

Across its first two games, USC has forced eight turnovers and surrendered zero, ranking first in the nation in turnover margin.

Mekhi Blackmon recorded his first pick as a Trojan, and Max Williams added one of his own as well as forcing a fumble against Stanford.

USC’s fourth turnover was a forced fumble, courtesy of Tuli Tuipulotu, who was named the Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week. In addition to the forced fumble, Tuipulotu recorded six tackles (four for loss) and a sack.

Forcing turnovers is certainly a good thing, and if the Trojans can continue to do so frequently, they won’t have too much difficulty beating anyone. However, it’s a tall order to expect four turnovers per game, and yet another of Saturday’s interceptions came off a deflection.

The concern for the Trojans is that they forced four turnovers and still gave up 28 points against Stanford, which is a solid program, but admittedly not on par with the competition USC has its eyes set on. This game would have been a lot closer without some good fortune for the Trojans.

Still, credit should be given to some of USC’s defensive playmakers — Max Williams has played extremely well and Blackmon appears to be settling into his new situation.

ACCELERATED TIMELINE FOR PLAYOFF APPEARANCE

This season presents a golden opportunity for USC to return to the ranks of college football's elite. Lincoln Riley has immediately had the impact that USC optimists were expecting, and the Trojans will have a chance to beat everyone on their schedule.

USC’s real tests were expected to be Utah, which opened the season ranked No. 7, and Notre Dame, which opened at No. 5. Utah looked vulnerable in a Week 1 loss to Florida, and Notre Dame is 0-2 and just lost its quarterback for the remainder of the season.

This is promising for this Trojans team, which is already knocking on the door of the College Football Playoff. One of Ohio State or Michigan is likely to eliminate the other from playoff contention before the end of the year. Clemson still doesn’t look like the team that used to dominate the ACC and could easily suffer a loss to a team like Miami.

If USC does what it’s supposed to do and wins games against the weaker Pac-12 competition, it could certainly make the playoffs with a little luck.