The USC Trojans should feel they can compete at the highest level in the Big Ten Conference when they arrive at their new home in 2024. We say this not because we think USC is better than Ohio State or Michigan right now. The Trojans clearly aren’t superior to the Buckeyes or Wolverines. We say this simply because Ohio State and Michigan have not pulled away from the Trojans. They have done better than USC, but they haven’t established themselves as unstoppable, dominant heavyweight programs, not the way Alabama and Clemson did from 2015 through 2018.
That’s our specific thesis, which we elaborated on in a recent article.
When Alabama and Clemson ruled college football from 2015 through 2018, their dominance was so complete that we began each season doubting that any other team could break through the barrier created by those two schools.
Ohio State and Michigan have not come particularly close to that standard. It is on that basis that we say USC can compete with the big boys in the Big Ten, especially in light of what happened in the bowls.
Here’s our show. Ian Hest produced it:
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