Big Ten conference overview shows need for continued USC progress

Even the most fierce of SEC supporters have to admit, at the very least, that the gap between their conference and USC's new home, the Big Ten, has closed. When looking at what the BIG has, there are a lot of unknowns, but that is only in terms of upside. Increasingly, each game in the Big Ten will legitimately be part of the type of gauntlet that SEC fans have claimed to be a part of for years.

Take the Trojans, for instance. Coach Lincoln Riley has his team positioned to be anywhere from around an eight-win program to as high as a double-digit finisher with a chance to sneak into the College Football Playoffs.

Look at the top end of the Big Ten, and Penn State and Ohio State are likely going to be vying for a national championship this year. Illinois has a veteran quarterback and a good supporting cast. Schools like Oregon and Michigan are going to be talented; the question remains of what will come of their quarterback situation this year.

Then there's the tier of programs that should have a high floor. Indiana came onto the national scene with coach Curt Cignetti in 2024. By all accounts, it looks like Nebraska is taking the steps in the right direction under coach Matt Rhule. Iowa will always be a difficult matchup, even if their offense isn't quite up to par.

When then looking at the other former Pac-12 compatriots, Washington tends to be overlooked, but they too are coming off a bowl game, and UCLA looks like it may be starting to figure things out as well.

Maintaining improvement needed at USC

There will always be bottom dwellers in each conference. An overarching glimpse of the type of competition that there is in the BIG should illustrate just how deep that coast-to-coast collective really is.

Add that Wisconsin and Rutgers are two programs that prove to be difficult to face up against, and the overall quality in the Big Ten is highly impressive. In order to truly compete and contend, USC will now build on the areas of weakness that they have been addressing this offseason. So far, the Trojans are doing what they need to do to keep up in the arms race.