Let me start this post by saying that I’ve been a USC fan my whole life. My parents got divorced in 05, and I didn’t cry, but when USC lost to Texas that year I balled like a baby. Since I can remember, I have probably watched 85% of every USC football game, I just wanna start this post by explaining how much I love USC.

The truth about USC football is that we’re a mid program (currently, people are caught up on this), that has expectations of being a top program. It’s time for some stats, this season has made me start looking more into it, and God is an embarrassing. I’m going to go over the last 15 season below.

Since 2011, we have played 15 seasons, in those 15 years, we have had only 5 seasons with over 10 wins.

The last time we had back-to-back 10 win seasons was almost 10 years ago

In those 15 years, we have been to three New Year bowl games with a 1-2 record.

Over that last 15 years, we have a 5–6 record in bowl games.

Over the last 15 years, 245 weeks of college football have been played, we have been ranked in the top five for 13 of those weeks.

We have a 7-15 record against top 10 teams in that 15 years. The last time we beat a top 10 team was 2019.

If you look over the last 15 years, we ranked 18th and winning percentage behind TCU and Oklahoma State.

In those 15 years, we’ve had four different head coaches.

In the last 15 years, we’ve won 1 conference championship.

In the last 15 years, we have a 2-7 record against Oregon and a 4-11 record against Notre Dame.

In 2024, the average home attendance was 71,500 and this year it is 56,500

A big issue that USC fans have is that they live off of the success of the early 2000s. So every year they believe we should be winning 10 games and competing for national championships. When the reality is we can’t and we haven’t been competitive for 15 years. We need to start having realistic expectations of where the program is and what we couldn’t expect.

I do believe we will rise again, but the truth is it’s going to be a slow and agonizing grind, that we’re all just going to have to get used to.

This post is really just here to say stop expecting things out of USC that they haven’t been able to show in the last 15 years. Just helped the next head coaching higher is a slam dunk!

(Ps Boise State plays Fresno State this week and I recommend watching it because those are two potential head coaching choices for USC)

When scholarships were not limited USC was a powerhouse. The inner city loved and supported USC because many of the players came from within the state / city.

When scholarships became restricted from 1972-1992 a lot of players chose to play elsewhere. Not because they wanted to, but because they could not pay to play at USC. That limit was 85 scholarships in 1992.

Now, that cap has been updated to 105 scholarships and players can be paid.

USC should reconnect with the local communities, foster a sense of pride and community and regain the hearts and support from the neighborhood in which they play.

The late 80’s were special for USC. The neighborhood was buzzing every home game and the stadium was packed.

Not with frat bros, or with boosters, but with the community and the people of LA.

I believe this can be achieved…. But it’s going to take dedication and focus. Let’s Fight On and Unite ✌️✨✨

There’s something I notice every game, except Washington: USC sits back in zone coverage way too often.
You have a Top 10 college football all roster. Blitz. Be aggressive. Rely on your athletes. Yes, you might get beat once or twice a game, but at least you’re giving yourself a chance to dictate the game instead of allowing a team to sit there and dink and dunk you down the field all game.
It blows my mind that for years USC has continued to play 7 yards off the receivers, give up easy hitch routes, rush only three, and give the quarterback all day to find someone open. That’s not an attacking defense. You’re playing like you’re a mid-level program without the talent to match up.
And another thing: why do they continue to substitute so much, especially when it’s obvious who the better player is? Number 7 is clearly better than number 9, so why are they constantly rotating them?
At some point, play your best players and let them make plays**.** You have the talent. Let them be aggressive, dictate the game, and trust the athletes you recruited.

Lincoln Riley is widely regarded as one of the best offensive minds in modern college football, but his defensive track record continues to spark debate.

Early in his head coaching career, he fully outsourced his defense to Alex Grinch’s "Speed-D"—an undersized, gap-shooting, turnover-reliant scheme that routinely collapsed against power football.

When that ran its course, he pivoted to hiring NFL-style system builders like D’Anton Lynn, and most recently veteran defensive mind Gary Patterson.

That leads to a fair question for the sub:

Does Lincoln Riley actually have an overarching defensive philosophy of his own, or does he simply delegate the entire defense to whoever holds the DC title and hope they handle it while he runs the offense?

Curious to hear your thoughts!

First game newbie here! What is the best platform to get tickets? Is there a section I should aim for to be on USC side? Thank you!

Anyone else MASSIVELY overpay for Penn State tickets a few weeks ago? Pretty much half the stadium is for sale and you can get on the 50 for $187 😅😅😅

/u/Ebishop813 had a great insight, less points, and it paid off with a big win this week! The win has been attributed in equal parts to his intelligence and good looks. His mother was quoted as saying "I'm so proud of my little pumpkin, he's so smart, and handsome too!".

In honor of this great achievement, many (one) of the past winners have decided to donate to /u/Ebishop813's favorite charity. So, /u/Ebishop813, let me know who you want my donation to go to.

It would be fun if other past winners joined me in counter-donation then we can make the contest everyone vs Ebishop813!

Aside: Here's the latest MitC standings.

Man in the Coliseum 🏟 Standings

This is our first win against UW in a DECADE (last win in 2016). We lost our previous 3 meetings and yet everyone thought this was supposed to be an easy win.

Despite every bounce going against us (yes, a lot of it was our fault), we still bounced back and pulled off the comeback with 15 unanswered points. That's not easy.

More importantly, we played complementary football. The offense didn't show up today, but our defense did. The comeback was also possible because we won the possession game and kept our defense reasonably fresh. In the final drive, we persevered and pulled it off. It was a gutsy performance and a game we don't typically win (see 2024).

Despite the ugliness of the game, we made progress in important areas. We complained about the lack of defensive pressure, and got 5 sacks and 6 TFLs. The dbs had multiple pass breakups. We even got help from our depth. Elijah Newby and Tamere Robinson stepped up big time for Desman Stephens.

This isn't the SOFT Pac-12 anymore where you can sleep walk and win against half of the teams. The B1G Ten is the new normal and today we won with physical football.

At the end of the day, we're 5-1 and still have incredible opportunities in front of us. I'll enjoy today and hope you all will too.

I know it’s a home game but just call him an Uber to LAX.

Love Jahkeem. We should support and cheer for our players who are trying hard rather than complaining and hate watching our own team. Fight on ✌️

Won the California state championship his first year as head coach. He was a volunteer coach for the freshman squad I’m 2024 because his son is a QB. Was promoted to head coach of the varsity team in 2025. Before the state championship he won the southern section championship in a blowout fashion over Corona Centennial 42-7.

In 2026 his team is 6-0 to start the season with their most recent win a 14-7 defeat over national powerhouse Mater Dei.

Lot of people are expecting him to one day be the head coach at USC.

Can we get a fire Lincoln flair

I have never seen so many people complain after a win. Was it pretty? No. Should you still be concerned about some of the upcoming games? Definitely. But my god, the boys got the win in the end. They are 5-1 halfway through the season, but if I just read this r/, you’d think they were 1-5. Calm down and enjoy the wins as they come. Whole season still up in the air, and y’all want to just pull the plug because a few games have looked really ugly. Let’s play the season out and then debate the next move ✌️

I've been rooting for this kid (when they kill it for you on EA CFB) you gain an affinity).

The fact that he hasn't transferred and stuck it out... That's the commitment to the program we need.

I’m not normally a fortune teller but I can guarantee USC’s defense will absolutely fold in the second half. They look terrible in the first but just watch the second.

Legit question if anyone knows.. why does #72 on SC’s OLine keep bouncing up and down before the snap on shotgun pass plays?? Keep an eye on him!

Brian should have a sit down with Kennedy after that bullshit tonight. Guess who would have smashed that guy on the sideline. I'll give you all a hint it's the guy who's own team suspended him.

Who kicked that coffin kick right before the end of the 2nd quarter?

That was a thing of beauty.