Gary Bryant, by transferring to Oregon from USC, made this November’s game between the Ducks and Trojans even more intriguing than it already was. Naturally, though, this game didn’t need that kind of plot line to be special and hugely anticipated.
There was already a showcase feel to Trojans-Ducks when the 2023 offseason began. Lincoln Riley and Dan Lanning did not meet in their first seasons on the job in the Pac-12 Conference. Riley came to USC from Oklahoma, Lanning to Oregon from Georgia. They both left big-time programs (Lanning as a coordinator, but that’s still notable) to pursue career opportunities on the West Coast, intending to pursue College Football Playoff berths and national championships.
Let’s look at the biggest plot points of November’s Oregon-USC game in Eugene: