According to ESPN analyst Greg McElroy, who hosts “Always College Football,” the response to the USC football program this season could influence both the Trojans and the wider college football world in 2025.
Greg McElroy Says USC Is Built For A Championship Run, But Warns Realignment Is Changing What Rivalries Mean
McElroy is confident that USC will achieve a big jump under head coach Lincoln Riley in 2025. He said, “I’m very bullish on USC this year and very bullish on USC’s future…Across the board, USC has the number one-ranked recruiting class in the 2026 season.”
A stronger and more confident group on defense now gives USC a chance to succeed in the Big Ten and even compete for a national crown.
Greg McElroy notes that the Trojans are expected to be a “dangerous” team capable of knocking off top contenders.
While praising USC’s future, McElroy also issued a sobering warning that speaks to the heart of what makes college football unique: rivalries are being rewritten—and not for the better.
Because there are now fewer games against rivals, what used to make Saturdays meaningful is becoming less important. Long-lasting rivalries between programs are being set aside in exchange for newer, less natural matchups.
McElroy stated: “I can live with the realignment we’ve seen over the last few years…I understand that it’s uncomfortable, I understand that it’s different, but I also understand that with some of these conference realignments, there have been several rivalries that have been broken.”
The shift from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten will affect how USC and its traditional foes approach their games.
After moving to a new conference, the Trojans have to compete with different teams, and old rivalries against UCLA and Oregon might not be as intense anymore.
The USC-Notre Dame rivalry, a series played annually since 1924 (with only a pandemic interruption in 2020), is now at risk as USC’s move to the Big Ten and Notre Dame’s independence complicate future scheduling
McElroy expressed his disappointment, saying, “I want to protect rivalries as best as we possibly can.”
True, USC is built for a championship run thanks to improved defense, coaching, and talent, but the changing landscape of college football means that some of its most cherished elements—its rivalries—are under threat.
KEEP READING: Notre Dame-USC Rivalry Risks Breakup Over Scheduling, College Football Playoff Concerns
Like McElroy said, “At the end of the day, I think the goal should be for all of us as college football fans to acknowledge that the world is changing beneath us. We have to do everything in our power to protect the historical significance of some games.”
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