Having the Sunday evening slot all to itself was the perfect stage for USC versus LSU, the highly anticipated game with a lot of storylines behind it. USC versus LSU pulled in the biggest television ratings of any Week 1 college football game. USC recruits were watching, but so were a lot of uncommitted recruits across the country. They got to see that USC takes defense seriously now, can play physically now, and can develop players at an NFL level on both sides of the ball, not just one.
It was a long offseason for both the USC and LSU programs in anticipation of how their defenses would look on the field against a quality offense. That offseason was definitely longer for the Trojans after their 2023 season went off the rails in the loss to Notre Dame in Game 7. While most of the players on both rosters weren’t even born 21 years ago, and nobody on the USC coaching staff or in its administration are still with the program now, this game mattered to those who watched both teams share the 2003 national championship.
The fact that USC was highly-watched in Week 1, and was then able to deliver a huge win, gives the Trojans a windfall of positive media attention. The offseason national chatter was mostly negative. This is how USC can change the national narrative and make significant forward strides in recruiting and the transfer portal in the coming cycles, which is all part of building back to a national championship standard.
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