Identity needs to be formed and show up on the field for USC in 2025

Think of the great USC teams from the past. Remember back to student body right. The suffocating Trojan defenses and elite quarterback-to-wide receiver play, as well as the steady dosage of teams having to face the stable of high-level running backs, made it impossible for everyone to not at least respect what was happening in Troy.

Fast forward to today, and even the aspects that should be receiving universal praise are being dismissed and made fun of by college football fans as a whole.

A lot of this stems from the Trojans not being able to show and point to who they are or what kind of program they have been trying to build. From that perspective, there is a different perspective among those in the building following a 6-6 regular season that was capped off with a Las Vegas Bowl win.

How USC looks in 2025 will be immensely telling. To the Trojan staff's credit, they have made it a point of emphasis to increase the level of play at the line of scrimmage. The additions of Waymond Jordan and Eli Sanders also suggest an increased commitment to running the football. Although fears of the RBs being underutilized will remain for many fans.

On defense, this is a team that went from having the defensive line be a point of concern not too long ago to the point where it may end up being the best overall unit on this roster. Certainly, throughout the course of Big Ten play, that theory will be tested, but by all accounts, there will be a significant improvement up front from coach D'Anton Lynn's defense.

Regardless of system, USC needs clear tangibles

The remaining aspect is how the Trojans want to approach the game. Many will point to the air raid when discussing coach Lincoln Riley, but even if there were to exclusively be go-routes called, a team can still have a certain grit and dominance about it in which the other team knows that they can't do anything to slow the USC offense down.

Setting the tone early against Missouri State and Georgia Southern, and then taking whichever approach they go into conference play with, will be important. Ideally, there is a nice balance on offense and a defense that sets the rules of engagement and isn't pushed around. When the games start for the 2025 season, Trojan fans need to be able to watch their team and know 'who they are.' This feature has not been present among the recent USC teams.