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USC football 2023 preview: Record prediction, breakout candidates, bowl game

Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams turned USC football around in Year 1. But Year 2 brings taller expectations and bigger questions.

By Alicia de Artola

USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley talks to quarterback Caleb Williams.
USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley talks to quarterback Caleb Williams. / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
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USC football's key storylines in 2023

The USC defense must improve...will it?

Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch was lucky to keep his job after one season at USC. That's how major the Trojans' defensive woes were. They probably cost the Trojans a trip to the College Football Playoff and they certainly cost the Trojans a bowl win.

After Riley gave his DC another year to turn it around, Grinch leaned heavily on the transfer portal to fill the obvious gaps in the defense.

Linemen Kyon Barrs from Arizona, Bear Alexander from Georgia, Jack Sullivan from Purdue and Anthony Lucas from Texas A&M will form an all-transfer defensive front for the Trojans. Former Oklahoma State linebacker Mason Cobb and newly-minted captain will be tasked with the field general USC has lacked for several eyars. Defensive back Christian Roland-Wallace from Arizona will look to bolster a secondary full of potential.

Will USC's defense be better in 2023? They have to be or heads will roll.

Can Caleb Williams do it all?

Caleb Williams is certain to be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft in 2024. First, he wants to go out on top by winning a second Heisman Trophy and leading USC to a national title.

There's no doubt Williams has the talent. He dragged USC to an 11-1 regular-season record as a sophomore. And the scary thing is he had room to grow and get even better.

But college football fans have also seen many a star take a step back with all the lights shining on them. Williams will need to rise to the occasion if he wants to achieve his goals in college.

Farewell to the Pac-12

This is USC's final season in the Pac-12. The minimum goal will be to win the conference for the last time. While the Trojans have more Pac-12 titles than anyone else, they haven't done a great job of adding to their impressive total in the last decade. In fact, USC has just one conference title since the Pac-10 became the Pac-12.

Every other team in the conference is always gunning for USC anyways, but now there will be even more bad blood between soon-to-be exes.

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