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Countdown to Kickoff: 2 Must-Win Games

Erik-McKinneyby: Erik McKinney09/02/22ErikTMcKinney

Not long now. It’s just two days away from the USC Trojans kicking off the 2022 season against Rice in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. We’re counting down these final few days with a Countdown to Kickoff series. So far, we’ve looked at 10 Newcomers to Watch,  9 Returners to Remember, 8 Things I Can’t Wait to See, 7 questions still remaining, 6 potential under-the-radar contributors, 5 Position Battles to Watch, 4 notable fall quotes and 3 concerns heading into the 2022 season. Now, here are 2 must-win games for the USC Trojans in 2022.

There are a number of games on this USC schedule that would be pretty unthinkable to drop. Starting off the season 0-1 after losing to Rice would be devastating. But looking at the top handful of opponents USC faces and considering all the surrounding circumstances, here are the two games USC must win this season.

(And yes, the real correct answer here is always “the next one” and then “the one after that.”)

At Stanford on Sept. 10

Fresno State at home the following week might actually present the bigger challenge. But this trip to Stanford next week will tell us a lot about the Trojans.

The Cardinal aren’t an elite group and they don’t represent anything close to what they did a decade or so ago. But the same was true of that group last year that came into the Coliseum and completely derailed USC’s season.

USC lost a bunch of games last season. This is a rematch that should show just how much USC changed in one offseason. This is an early-season game that could really set the tone for the entire season.

At UCLA on Nov. 19

USC fans are rightfully fired up about the arrival of head coach Lincoln Riley and all the talent he’s been able to assemble in one offseason. Riley always says the program’s goal this year is a championship. The players echo that sentiment. Most fans would be willing to accept a few losses if it meant clearly inspired and elevated play compared to last season.

Beating Utah in Salt Lake City or Notre Dame in the Coliseum would be great. If those wind up being close losses, however, most of the USC fan base would find a way to accept that.

But USC has to send a message across town right away. This year’s UCLA team might wind up being pretty good, so this rivalry game toward the end of the year could be an important one. It’s also important for USC to show that if it isn’t one of the two conference championship participants, it’s still part of that top tier in the Pac-12.

Riley and the Trojans need to announce themselves in this rivalry the way Pete Carroll and his Trojans did with a 27-0 shutout in 2001.

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Garry Paskwietz (1966-2019)

Garry Paskwietz was a pioneer in bringing team-specific sports coverage to the internet. He founded WeAreSC in 1998 and was an Emmy winner for his work with Fox Sports West. Always generous with his time, knowledge, and compassion, he touched the lives of countless USC and high school football fans.

Garry Paskwietz