USC's return to program greatness will scare college football fans once again

Whether other fan bases choose to acknowledge it or not, USC is still a premier spot in college football. The Trojans are the envy and ire of many. They know, as do all who have followed the sport for any considerable amount of time, what role the sanctions had on the program.

Other teams did well during the down years of USC to take advantage and get their own house in order. Now, with the 2025 season almost being here at the front door, there is a new dawn for the Trojans that will be a major step in righting some of the more recent past wrongs.

A large reason why so many enjoy downplaying anything positive that happens for USC nowadays is due to decades of seeing the Trojans dominate against their favorite team. For others, watching coach Lincoln Riley come off a .500 regular season is the fulfillment of a twisted fantasy after years of not being able to handle the Cardinal and Gold flexing its strength on the field.

Still, the fact remains that once things start humming at USC and the wins start to pile up, there isn't a program better positioned to capitalize and once again be seen as the bad guy that everyone pretends to loathe, when in actuality they admire it.

Hints of USC return beginning to show

It has been a while, however. As mentioned, the pressure from the NCAA and action taken against the Trojans had a real, lasting effect on the program. Only now has the requisite amount of time passed to be able to start putting the effects of the sanctions in the rearview mirror. What has remained, though, is the power of the emblem, and in the back of people's minds, USC still remains a prevalent, critical feature of college football.

This has started to showcase itself already on the recruiting trail. It isn't only that the Trojans have the top two upcoming classes, but when comparing how schools choose to go about visits, it isn't particularly close. USC is still a notch above the rest of the country. That will be true across all phases of football operations soon enough.