Massive road test for USC in September will come against Illinois

When projecting ahead as to which teams will have good years in college football, Illinois has to be up there. USC will travel to the Fighting Illini on September 27. Depending on which Trojan is asked, coach Lincoln Riley will need to be anywhere from eight to 10 wins in 2025.

For the double-digit proponents, the matchup against the Fighting Illini in particular will stand out. Coach Bret Bielema is poised to make a potential run to a Big Ten championship this year with veteran Luke Altmyer at quarterback.

This should be a good, highly competitive Illinois team, regardless of how the season ends up unfolding for them. By the time USC faces them, they will have already played Missouri State, Georgia Southern, Purdue, and Michigan State.

Not that upsets can't happen. Particularly during conference play, BIG teams have a tendency of muddying things up and making things less straightforward than would initially meet the eye.

Assuming the Trojans are able to take care of business up until that point, they will be sitting undefeated with a 4-0 record heading into Champaign. For a coach Riley team that is looking to get back to the needed levels in order to be a contender, that late-September game will be immensely telling.

The road to progress often needs certain benchmarks to serve as litmus tests. Depending on how that game against Illinois looks, certainly if there is a Trojan win, the fan base will feel that much more invigorated and likely to believe that the program is closer to returning to being at the top of the sport.

An important one for USC fans to circle on calendar

Even in a loss, as long as it is competitive, there wouldn't necessarily be a need to panic or see heads hanging in shame. As stated, this is an Illinois team that should be good and has a lot of good things going in their favor for the upcoming season.

USC being able to pull off this road win early in the season would have to send shock waves throughout college football. It is a possibility that shouldn't be dismissed too soon.