Thinking Ahead: Which games could be most important for USC recruiting

There are now only six Saturdays unless until the USC Trojans take the field to kickoff the 2023-2024 season. The expectations are high, not only for how the Trojans will do in the Pac-12, but also the national landscape as the hopes are a playoff birth and national championship run.

We have mentioned several times over the summer this season will be crucial for the recruitment of a number of positions, most of which is on the defensive side of the ball, primarily defensive line.

As much as individual position success will be important, simply continuing the growth of a new winning culture will help advance all recruiting. If USC is at the forefront of college football, it will help progress the national brand and awareness of the Lincoln Riley ere in Los Angeles.

I have been thinking ahead to the season and which select games will be the most important for recruiting. There will always be 2-3 games that the entire nation is tuned into in some form or fashion, likely due to national implications in the rankings. Which games are being played at home will also determine what kind of environments potential recruiting visitors will be able to witness.

Some of these storylines are pretty self explanatory, but I figured I would run through my own thought process to get some conversation going.

I honestly don’t see any of the first six games being too impactful on the national stage as USC plays San Jose State, Nevada, Stanford, and Arizona at home and will travel to Arizona State and Colorado. The Colorado game will be a fun one simply because of Deion Sanders, but the talent gap will still be significant. The game itself will likely not move any needles in getting any more attention at that point in the year.

The first big one is going on the road to face Notre Dame, but to be honest, I’m not sold on Notre Dame being a big time contender this year. They will likely be 6-1 entering that game, making it a big matchup of course. I think there will be more impactful games on the schedule for the Trojans. It being in South Bend takes away some of the potential recruiting attention compared to being able to host visitors for the game.

Utah will be a very exciting game with the recent history of this matchup and last years results. I don’t know how much of a recruiting pull it will have but that game will be crucial. Utah will be strong again and the game will not be an easy one. Going on the road to Cal will have little to no effect in recruiting.

In my opinion, I think Washington may be the most important game of the regular season for USC. The game is in Los Angeles and there is a very good chance the Huskies come into that game undefeated. A week 10 matchup of potential undefeated will make for a massive implication game on the playoffs. It is also Homecoming for USC will means the festivities will be on full display for recruits in attendance. The offenses on the field that night make for a potential electric game.

Oregon will of course be a massive game on the schedule but it being an away game takes some of the fun out of it in a recruiting sense. A big win would still help regardless, as it will likely be another playoff level game.

UCLA at the Coliseum likely won’t be a big game nationally, but it gives the opportunity for USC to finish a perfect regular season if things fall the right way.

The biggest will be the postseason

The Pac-12 championship would clearly be a big opportunity but it was what could come after that USC is hoping to take part in.

If USC has the season they expect, they will be in playoff contention and a likely spot in the dance with a conference championship. Making the playoff, and potentially the National Championship, is the biggest way to raise brands awareness. Winning rivalry games or primetime slugfests go a ways but simply being present in the playoff would be bigger than any regular season win.

There’s nothing that proves more a program is on the right track than competing for a championship. The biggest implication with that potential storyline is it likely mean the USC defense was bounds and leap ahead of where they have been.

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