USC Is Going To Be In For A Rude Awakening When They Join The Big Ten, And Last Night Proved It

So USC got their shit pumped by Notre Dame last night. This Notre Dame team seemed to be in shambles following their loss to Louisville last week. I'm not going to break down the game itself, but having watched what I've watched from USC this season, I'm starting to develop this idea that they may be in for a rude awakening when they join the Big Ten.

Don't get me wrong, Lincoln Riley will recruit. His offenses will be explosive, and they'll put school position players in the NFL. That's not the concern. But there is an identity to Big Ten football. It's won in the trenches. You can say what you want about teams like Iowa and Wisconsin, but those teams do have a level of toughness. The fact that Iowa football can win eight or nine games every year, despite not having any semblance of an offense, is a testament to the fact that they do a pretty good job of developing outstanding defensive players. USC may have talent on defense, but Lincoln Riley's offenses consistently get gashed.

Will USC be bad in the Big Ten? No. I think they will ultimately adjust. But there will be a learning curve. They're going to need to get tougher. USC isn't going to go 5–7. They're still probably going to win at least nine games a year. But it wouldn't shock me if they get punched in the mouth a little bit when they play the best of the best.

I think a team out west that compares to Big Ten teams just in terms of style of play is Utah. We have seen Utah on multiple occasions give Lincoln Riley team's fits. I feel like Utah and teams like Notre Dame have provided the template of how Big Ten will play USC. Most of them will lose simply because they might not have the talent to keep up, but they will trouble them.

With each passing day, I'm more and more in support of conference expansion. I love having a great team, but Michigan has played seven scrimmages this year. The men will be separated from the boys very quickly starting next year. College football and their fans will have to adjust to the change. So will USC.