USC and LSU are in incredibly similar places as they prepare to meet in week one

Sunday's title with No. 13 LSU can't come soon enough for USC football fans. The most anticipated season opener in nearly a decade will be one of the marquee matchups of week one of the college football season.

What's more, it is fair to question whether or not these early-season ranked matchups will continue to be part of the sport. After all, the expansion of the major conferences is limiting the number of possible high-profile non-conference opponents that are available to schedule.

Additionally, teams in the four major conferences are now facing the prospect of tougher conference schedules than ever before thus lessening the need to bulk up your resume in the non-conference portion of the season.

Now, as long as there are corporate sponsors for these opening week games, there will be motivation on the part of many to see these high-profile neutral-site showdowns continue. Also, college football games are scheduled years in advance meaning that the next several years already have big-time week-one matchups set.

Still, week one games like USC and LSU will play on Sunday are special and rare. That's why the eyes of the country will be on Las Vegas for this game. What is interesting as well is that these programs find themselves in remarkably similar places as this game arrives.

USC and LSU both hope that rebuilt defenses take a step forward in 2024

We all know about USC's defensive overhaul. The arrival of new D.C. D'Anton Lynn from UCLA has been one of the offseason's biggest stories.

However, don't forget that LSU is also looking to rebuild on that side of the football in 2024. In fact, LSU fired coordinator Matt House after the Tigers allowed an embarrassing 416.6 yards and 28.0 points per game a season ago.

Now, former Missouri D.C. Blake Baker is tasked with piecing together a respectable defensive unit in Baton Rogue. If he can get the Tigers to give up fewer than 2,000 yards on the ground, it will be the first time for that to happen for that program since 2021.

It is fascinating that in this game, both teams feature a rebuilt defense opposite of what is expected to be a lethal offense. Whichever of the two defenses looks the best will determine how this game plays out. What's more, how the two defenses play will be a talking point for both fan bases as we move into week two.

Long-time backup QBs set to start for both USC and LSU

This game could come down to the play at quarterback (as many football games do). Interestingly, in the age of the transfer portal, though, both teams will feature long-time backups who have been elevated to the starting job after sitting behind Heisman Trophy winners.

USC fans know plenty about Miller Moss' journey to earning the QB1 spot for the Trojans. So let's take a look at LSU's Garrett Nussmeier for a moment.

A 4-star recruit in the class of 2020, he was the No. 14 QB in his class when he signed with LSU. Like Moss, he's made only one career start and that came in his team's bowl game last season.

That day he threw for 395 yards and three scores in LSU's ReliaQuest Bowl win over Wisconsin, completing 31-of-45 passes in the process. It was a performance that almost mirrored what Moss did in the Holiday Bowl against Louisville.

Both quarterbacks arrived on campus with some significant expectations. However, coaching changes at both schools and the addition of high-profile transfers meant that both Moss and Nussmeier had to wait for their opportunity to shine. Now, that time has arrived for both and in the age of player movement, all eyes will be on these two upperclassmen who have stayed with their original programs and finally received their chance to lead their teams.

Both Brian Kelly and Lincoln Riley need a marquee win

The similarities between these programs don't stop at the quarterback program. In fact, both head coaches need a high-profile win to once again establish themselves as two of the elites in their field.

It seems odd that the head coaches of the last two Heisman Trophy winners are suffering from perception problems but that could be said of both Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly. Both had strong debut seasons in 2022 with Riley leading the Trojans to an 11-3 mark, which included a loss in the PAC-12 title game while Kelley took the Tigers to a 10-4 mark including a loss in the SEC Championship Game.

Last season, both programs failed to live up to preseason expectations. USC went just 8-5 while LSU was 10-3. Along the way, Kelly lost games to No. 8 Florida State, No. 20 Ole Miss, and No. 8 Alabama. Meanwhile, USC dropped games against No. 21 Notre Dame, No. 14 Utah, No. 5 Washington, and No. 6 Oregon in 2023.

Both Kelly and Riley have received plenty of criticism this offseason. That's been especially true for Riley after the repeated shots taken at him by national media personality Paul Finebaum. Both coaches were lured away from big-time programs and are highly compensated because they are supposed to be elite at their craft. However, each has failed to deliver the results the fan bases expected when they arrived three seasons ago.

The annual expectation at both USC and LSU this season is an appearance in the 12-team College Football Playoff. Anything short of that and Riley and Kelly could be on the hot seat this time next year. So both coaches desperately need to get off to a great start this season by winning in Las Vegas on Sunday because the losing coach will be facing an uphill battle the rest of the season.

USC and LSU are blue-blood programs looking to get back into the national conversation

The final similarity between USC and LSU is that each of these blue-blood programs has faded a bit from the national conversation as 2024 begins. In fact, neither is projected by many people to make the College Football Playoff.

USC has not won a conference championship since 2017 and has not played in the College Football Playoff, which began in 2014. Meanwhile, since winning the National Championship in 2020, LSU has finished a season ranked no higher than 13th.

With both of these programs, the expectation is to play for the National Championship. The fan bases demand it and the resources each has at its disposal suggests that playoff appearances should be a regular occurrence.

The team that wins this game could be in line to accomplish that goal this season. However, the team that loses will be a long shot to reach the playoff. USC still has games against Michigan, Penn State, Washington, and Notre Dame while LSU must square off with Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama, and Oklahoma. Thus, this game feels a bit like an early elimination game for one of these marquee programs.