Lincoln Riley opens up on how USC football's move to Big Ten has impacted recruiting

When USC football left for the Big Ten, there were many takes about how recruiting for the Trojans was going to be affected. Some thought it would improve, some thought it would potentially even get worse, and some thought it would stay about right where it's at.

When USC snagged Micah Banuelos from Oregon's grips, though, it may have foreshadowed what's to come with recruiting. Banuelos credited USC's move to the Big Ten for his commitment.

Perhaps the move to the Big Ten can be a major recruiting tool right now. In fact, Riley expanded upon it at Pac-12 Media Day:

"Yeah, the (conversations with recruits) are exciting because I think there's some obvious benefits right off the top," said Riley. "Playing in some of the major, biggest, most influential media markets not only in the country but in the world."

There's room in the Big Ten for anyone wanting to play on the biggest stage now that the USC Trojans were added.

Now that the USC Trojans made the move, the second-biggest media market in America is added to a conference that already had the biggest media market in the country. Now, BOTH New York AND Los Angeles are represented by the Big Ten.

Another blueblood being added to arguably the best conference in the country just creates more excitement for recruits to be a part of:

"One thing that I don't feel like has been discussed that much is forever and ever one of the most watched, impactful games in college football has been the Rose Bowl. You think about some of the epic matchups that have happened in the Rose Bowl. Now you're going to have several of those happening each year, albeit in different venues. I think it's going to create some cool and intriguing matchups that will grab attention all over the country."

- Lincoln Riley, USC Football Head Coach

The top recruits want to be playing in the biggest games week in and week out of the college football season. Nobody grows up dreaming about playing in a USC vs. Arizona 'Pac-12 After Dark' game, but they do dream of playing in a USC vs. Ohio State 'Big Noon Kickoff' game.

The added revenue that will come as a result of the conference change can also be used to make the program a better and more attractive one for recruits to come to.

"The financial impact is significant. The ability to take that and put it back into facilities, to put it back into services for your players, to mental health, to development, to anything that's going to benefit the program, it's a big deal, there's no question. The TV slots are a big deal."

- Lincoln Riley, USC Football Head Coach

It all continues to go back to how much healthier of a conference USC is in, and how much healthier that makes this program as a whole. USC hasn't had it this good, when it comes to the type of benefits they'll get from their conference, ever. Recruiting has the potential to skyrocket.

"USC has always been a national brand, but it opens up with a recruiting base that's maybe different than ever before in the school's history. There's a lot of excitment about it. So the conversations have been fun. It's certainly been impactful. I'm glad that our people have been on the forefront."

- Lincoln Riley, USC Football Head Coach