USC proves it is a CFP contender by knocking off LSU in Las Vegas

Woody Marks was the hero with his game-winning touchdown run in the final minutes. Kyron Hudson was the viral sensation with two one-handed catches in traffic. Miller Moss was the feel-good story after finally being named QB1. However, No. 23 USC's 27-20 victory over No. 13 LSU in Las Vegas on Sunday night was about USC as a program.

Not having ever played in the College Football Playoff, which has been in existence for a decade, the Trojans have taken a back seat to programs like Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, and others since last playing for a National Championship two decades ago.

While Sunday's win didn't put USC in a position to play for this year's National Championship, it did do something important in pursuit of that goal. It put Lincoln Riley and the Trojans back in the national conversation.

Of course, there is still work to be done if the Men of Troy are going to claim the Big Ten championship and earn an automatic bid to the new 12-team playoff, or even if they are going to fight their way into the playoff field by earning an at-large bid. Upcoming games against Michigan and Notre Dame will go a long way toward determining how this season plays out.

However, to even enter the fray, USC needed a marquee win. That's something that has largely evaded the program in Riley's first two seasons.

In 2022, USC dropped three of its five games against ranked opponents including two to Utah, the second of which came in the PAC-12 Championship Game. Then, last season, Riley's team went 0-4 in the regular season against ranked teams before claiming a dominating victory over No. 16 Louisville in the Holiday Bowl.

That's not the type of results USC expected when the program lured Riley away from Oklahoma where Riley repeatedly dominated the Big 12. But perhaps the ship is turning for the Trojans.

Sunday's game was a slugfest resembling more of an S.E.C. or Big Ten game than a PAC-12 track meet. Sure, the teams combined for nearly 700 passing yards with each throwing for over 300 but make no mistake, this was a physical, hard-nosed game that was played with grit and toughness at the line of scrimmage.

In Riley's first two years, those are the types of games that the Trojans would have wilted in. When hit in the mouth the last two seasons, USC hasn't had the stomach for the fight.

That wasn't the case on Sunday, though. In fact, when it came down to crunch time, USC was the team that delivered the knockout punch.

That's why it was best that the decisive score came not through the air but on the ground, a 13-yard scamper by Marks who ran hard all night on his way to 68 tough yards and two TDs on 16 carries. In the end, it wasn't just finesse that won this game (though there was plenty of that along the way) but a smash-mouth exclamation point from a program that needed to prove to the Big Ten, the nation, and itself that the attitude in Southern California has changed.

Speaking of changes, the defense also redeemed itself in this game. After being a laughing stock all of last season, the Trojans held a dangerous LSU offense to just 20 points. Yes, it was at times a bend-but-don't-break approach but when it mattered, new D.C. D'Anton Lynn's unit stood up and showed that it wasn't going to be pushed around as so many defenses on Lincoln Riley's watch had.

In fact, on the four LSU drives in the fourth quarter, USC gave up only one field goal and 58 total yards. That might be the biggest development of all given where the defense was a season ago.

It all adds up to a banner night for the Trojans. Sure, there have been much bigger wins in program history and hopefully, there will be bigger wins to come this season.

However, this program needed to put its foot in the ground and reverse course after last year and that's what it did against LSU. Now, the college football world is once again talking about USC for the right reasons as the Trojans have the look of a serious playoff contender.