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Welcome to the Hotline's predictions for each Pac-12 game of the 2022 season. The 12-part series will be published in six installments, with teams grouped by travel partners. Links to prior articles at bottom …
USC Trojans
Coach: Lincoln Riley (first season)
Offensive coordinator: Josh Henson (first season)
Defensive coordinator: Alex Grinch (first season)
2021 record: 4-8/3-6
USC's five-year win totals: 10-11-5-8-4 (2020 season excluded)
Last postseason appearance: 2019 Holiday Bowl (lost to Iowa)
Best-case 2022 scenario: 11-1
Worst-case 2022 scenario: 7-5
Projected starting quarterback: Caleb Williams
Key question: Will the Trojans justify the hype?
Here we go …
Sept. 3: vs. Rice
Result: win
Record: 1-0
Comment: Anything less than 52-7 will be a letdown for the faithful.
Sept. 10: at Stanford
Result: win
Record: 2-0/1-0
Comment: It won't be clean or easy, but the Trojans collect their first win at Stanford since 2014 in their final appearance as a member of the Pac-12.
Sept. 17: vs. Fresno State
Result: win
Record: 3-0/1-0
Comment: Caleb Williams vs. Jake Haener and Lincoln Riley vs. Jeff Tedford under the Coliseum lights on the FOX broadcast network? Yes, please.
Sept. 24: at Oregon State
Result: loss
Record: 3-1/1-1
Comment: Better USC teams than this version have fallen a few points short in Corvallis. The early Riley-era euphoria fades to the reality of Helton-era roster deficiencies.
Oct. 1: vs. Arizona State
Result: win
Record: 4-1/2-1
Comment: Preparation edge to USC, which should be focused following the loss. Also, the Sun Devils will be not-so-fresh after facing Utah's brutality.
Oct. 8: vs. Washington State
Result: win
Record: 5-1/3-1
Comment: Trojans won the past two duels by a combined score of 83-27, and we don't see how the dynamics have changed significantly. If anything, USC's edge has increased.
Oct. 15: at Utah
Result: loss
Record: 5-2/3-2
Comment: If the season plays out as we expect, this showdown of top-10/15 teams is slotted into the primetime window on FOX or ABC. Heck, maybe the GameDay crew hits Salt Lake City.
Oct. 22: idle
Comment: No competitive advantage; Arizona also has the week off.
Oct. 29 at Arizona
Result: win
Record: 6-2/4-2
Comment: Six of USC's past seven trips to Tucson have resulted in one-score outcomes. This should be close throughout, with plenty of points on both sides.
Nov. 5: vs. Cal
Result: win
Record: 7-2/5-2
Comment: November is the time for Heisman candidates to shine. Williams makes his case as a one-man show against the Bears, who manage to shut down everyone else.
Nov. 11 (Friday): vs. Colorado
Result: win
Record: 8-2/6-2
Comment: Obvious trap situation for the Trojans, but Colorado doesn't have the personnel to take advantage. We expect a Friday night snoozer.
Nov. 19: at UCLA
Result: win
Record: 9-2/7-2
Comment: The penultimate crosstown showdown as members of the Pac-12 is exactly the high-profile matchup in L.A. that the conference could have used last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, and …
Nov. 26: vs. Notre Dame
Result: loss
Record: 9-3/7-2
Comment: A nine-win season would be poorly received in some corners of the USC universe. But we believe Riley needs one more recruiting cycle to build the lines of scrimmage to the point that playoff contention is reasonable.
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Jon Wilner has been covering college sports for decades and is an AP Top 25 football and basketball voter as well as a Heisman Trophy voter. He was named Beat Writer of the Year in 2013 by the Football Writers Association of America for his coverage of the Pac-12, won first place for feature writing in 2016 in the Associated Press Sports Editors writing contest and is a five-time APSE honoree. You can follow him on Twitter @WilnerHotline or send an email at jwilner@bayareanewsgroup.com.
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