Before conference realignment, USC Football’s hiring of Lincoln Riley was one of the biggest national stories in college football going into 2022.

The Trojans are bound for the Big ten in two years, but that still leaves a pair of seasons for Riley to win games in the Conference of Champions.

If their offense can be what it’s capable of, that should be a reachable goal for USC in the next two years.

On today’s episode of Locked On Pac-12, I examine the expectations for the Trojans in Year One with their new coach.

USC fans are hopeful he can orchestrate a drastic one-year turnaround after a 4-8 season in 2021 that will see them contend for a Pac-12 championship in 2022.

What’s the threshold for a disappointing first year in LA for Lincoln Riley?

On Monday’s show, I went through the Pac-12 coaches under the most pressure heading into 2022, with Herm Edwards at the top of the list.

I made an omission after listing Justin Wilcox and Chip Kelly behind ASU’s head coach, and that coach is arguably under more pressure than either Wilcox or Kelly as the season approaches in less than two months.

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—More from Spencer McLaughlin—

• McLaughlin: Can Conference Relegation Save the Pac-2?

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• McLaughlin: Utah Needs Cam Rising to Return to Win Pac-12

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• McLaughlin: OSU vs. WSU Set to Make a Point on Saturday

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• McLaughlin: Pac-12 Moods, Week 3 Winners and Losers

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• McLaughlin: Week 3 Shows CFB has Scheduling Problem

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• McLaughlin: What Do We Know About These 2023 Beavers?

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• McLaughlin: Is Colorado a Serious Pac-12 Title Contender?

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• McLaughlin: OSU and WSU Seek to Control their Futures

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• McLaughlin: Pac-12 Showing Why Demise is Totally Insane

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• McLaughlin: Pac-12 Remains Best Conference in America

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• McLaughlin: Cal and Nebraska Upset Winners in Week 2?

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• McLaughlin: Why Utah Should be Pac-12 Favorite, but Isn’t

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• McLaughlin: Colorado Could Start 3-0 After Upset of TCU

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• McLaughlin: The Pac-12’s Path to the CFP Remains Daunting

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• McLaughlin: Reaction to Cal and Stanford Going to the ACC

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