O/NSO: What Big Ten fans should know about USC football

The Obvious: With the 2024 Big Ten football schedule released last week, the first emotion that may have jumped out to fans of Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois was exhilaration at the thought of “vacationing” in Los Angeles in the fall of 2024 to support their favorite team against the storied USC Trojans.

The Not So Obvious: As the Big Ten Conference was enthusiastically pointing out last weekend, other than within the states themselves, there is no bigger Big Ten alumni base in the country than in Southern California. You can understand the energy of Big Ten fans who were hoping their team would be one of the lucky few to be part of the inaugural first Big Ten Conference that would be sending teams to Los Angeles to play conference games at USC or UCLA. But please, don’t even try to compare attending a UCLA game in Pasadena to a USC game in Los Angeles. It’s not even close.

Yes, UCLA plays in a picturesque setting, but USC plays in a historic Coliseum setting that’s second to none, which features – if you sit in the upper level of this famous sports edifice the background of the skyline of Los Angeles, the Hollywood sign, and the Griffith Park Observatory – generations of local, national, and international sports history.

As it pertains to the Trojans, how much do Big Ten fans really know about USC football outside of a New Year’s Day in the Rose Bowl? Well, the venerable O/NSO is about to give you a little civics lesson, and consider this Part 1 of your “USC welcome wagon seminar.”

The USC Trojans and Michigan Wolverines battle in the 2007 Rose Bowl Game.
(Photo above by John Pyle/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images)

The Obvious: Big Ten fans, you may think you know USC football from television exposures and soundbites, but you’re just scratching the surface of a program that historically is arguably one of L.A.’s top three sports properties alongside the Dodgers and the Lakers.

The Not So Obvious: Big Ten fans, you may or not be aware that under second-year USC head coach Lincoln Riley, Trojans football is again starting to look like USC football, and, yes, the O/NSO takes into account the present shortcomings of the cardinal and gold defense. No argument there. That being said, the memories of those dreadful days and seasons under Clay Helton have begun to fade but will never be forgotten.

The dreadful NCAA sanctions of long ago are also fading but have not been forgotten, as well. So, what should Big Ten fans know about USC football besides Rose Bowl appearances in Pasadena? First, attending a Trojans’ football game when the Men of Troy are good is truly a Coliseum event. L.A. loves winners and big games, and when local teams don’t win, folks head for the beaches, desert, or the mountains.

L.A. is obviously not a college town, and USC is still treated like an NFL franchise even when the City of Angels now has two NFL teams in the Rams and Chargers. As a friendly reminder, USC didn’t once leave for St. Louis only to return, and the Chargers, although they started in Los Angeles in the 60s, have transplanted themselves from San Diego.

Quarterback Caleb Williams helped return USC to national prominence with an 11-1 regular season.
(Photo above by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

The Obvious: The O/NSO knows what you Big Ten fans are thinking. The last time a Big Ten team played USC was the 2019 Holiday Bowl in San Diego when the Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Trojans 22-19. For most USC fans, it was an embarrassment underscored by an administration that appeared to have de-emphasized the importance of football by continuing to support the Clay Helton coaching nonsense.

The Not So Obvious: I know, Big Ten fans, you’d also like to bring up the 2017 Cotton Bowl when Urban Meyer and his Buckeyes manhandled the “pretend” Trojans in name only, 24-7. However, what do those Iowa and Ohio State Big Ten wins have in common? The Trojans were led by that future (cough, cough) Hall of Fame coach Clay Helton, now at fabled Georgia Southern.

To be fair, you may recall that Helton’s Men of Troy – thanks mostly to the efforts of All-America quarterback Sam Darnold and inexcusable fourth-quarter coaching by Penn State coach James Franklin – did break the heart of Nittany Lions fans in the high-scoring 2017 Rose Bowl game, won 52-49 on a 46-yard field goal by USC’s Matt Boermeester on the last play of the game.

The Obvious: Big Ten fans, first the basics of understanding USC football. USC stands for the University of Southern California, and its nickname, of course, is the Trojans. The O/NSO guesses you knew that, right?

The Not So Obvious: The O/NSO knows that for generations, you Midwesterners have referred to the University of Southern California as Southern Cal. Until not all that long ago, referring to USC as Southern Cal was highly frowned upon by the university. Out here in L.A., the term Southern Cal is nonexistent unless you’re transplanted from outside the area. The locals here refer to the university as “USC” or “SC” and not the University of Southern California or Southern Cal. You Midwesterners can still call them Southern Cal if you wish, but you might get a frowned-upon glance in return.

USC fans never refer to the university as Southern Cal but identify with either USC or SC.

The Obvious: Especially in football, Big Ten universities and their fan bases like to pride themselves in their accomplishments and championships.

The Not So Obvious: Words of advice, Big Ten fans, don’t get into it with USC football fans when it comes to historical college football achievements if you dare play the comparison game. Don’t go there unless you’re prepared to be peppered relentlessly with the following USC football facts: 11 National Championships, 37 conference championships, 25 Rose Bowl wins, eight Heisman Trophy winners, 175 first-team All-Americans, 46 players in the College Football Hall of Fame, 523 all-time NFL picks, 14 players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and on and on.

And then there’s the “A-bomb” when an SC fan reminds you Big Ten fans that the Trojans are 75-30-3 all-time against your conference teams. Again, don’t go there for your own sake, especially in L.A.

One of USC’s 11 national championship teams was the legendary 1972 Trojans, which is arguably the greatest college team of all-time. (Photo above by University of Southern California LA/WireImage)

The Obvious: The Trojans play home football games in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, one of the historic sports and best-known stadiums not only in this country but around the world.

The Not So Obvious: Look, the O/NSO agrees that the Big Ten has some fantastic and historic stadium icons: Michigan Stadium, Ohio Stadium, Beaver Stadium, Camp Randall Field, Kinnick Stadium, and the like. However, when you talk about the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and its iconic peristyle end with the Olympic torch, this is a legitimate national treasure. The truth is that when the Trojans are winning, fans and historians look at the “Coli” in reverent terms alongside the likes of Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, and even Notre Dame Stadium. It’s pure national Americana. It’s a Big Ten fan’s photo op waiting to happen. Almost all visiting fans playing the Trojans in the Coli take the time to get an outside picture of the peristyle end and its famous torch.

The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is nationally and internationally recognized by its iconic peristyle end and famous torch.
(Photo above by Scott Schrader/WeAreSC)

The Obvious: When the Trojans are on top of their game, it’s the “historic and intimidating” Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

The Not So Obvious: However, when the Trojans aren’t winning, the place takes one potshot after another. It all depends on the team USC puts on the field. The days of 100,000 Coli attendance capacity is from a bygone era. Today’s Coliseum seats 77,000, thanks to what many believe was a botched renovation job, which created a monstrosity combination press box and elitist mega booster suites. To this day, USC fans blame former athletic director Pat Haden for this disgrace. It’s like the Coli was neutered by renovation malpractice. For most Big Ten fans, you might not know the difference between the old and new Coliseum, but Trojans fans know.

The Coliseum capacity, which was once over 100,000, has been reduced to 77,000.
(Photo above courtesy of the Los Angeles Coliseum)

The Obvious: Rightly so, the Big Ten Conference has some of the greatest marching bands and fight songs in college football, and the O/NSO could watch and/or listen to Michigan’s “Hail to the Victors,” Ohio State’s tuba tradition of the dotting of the “I”, or Wisconsin performing “On Wisconsin.” All done in perfect military-style discipline.

The Not So Obvious: However, no place in the USA represents a region any better than USC’s Spirit of Troy. If Big Ten fans like the “Hollywood” style of the USC Marching Band at the Rose Bowl, you’ll love them even more during pregame performances on the USC campus and the game itself. FYI, you can march with the band from the “SC” campus to the Coliseum outside players’ tunnel entrance. You know the songs: Fight On, Conquest, Tusk, and, of course, Tribute to Troy. And it wouldn’t be the USC band without each member wearing their Hollywood-style sunglasses – even for night games.

The USC Marching Band is considered one of the great college bands highlighted by their “Hollywood” style.
(Photo above by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)

The Obvious: Unlike many of its new Big Ten football counterparts, USC has no true full indoor gridiron practice facility because of the year-round comfortable weather.

The Not So Obvious: However, in direct competition with the Big Ten, USC president Dr. Carol Folt announced on Thursday a brand-new unnamed football performance center, which will include three levels devoted to team operations with a rooftop hospitality deck and a player lounge.

The football program is also adding second full-length practice. The new complex will provide student-athlete-centric spaces, which include a new locker room, multiple player lounges, a recovery hub, nutritional support, sports sciences services, a weight room, a training room, and an equipment room.

In addition, football’s new home will also feature a team auditorium, position meeting rooms, recruiting areas, staff offices, and flexible space for future growth.

On Thursday, USC unveiled its plans for a new football complex (above), which will have a multitude of improvements.

The Obvious: For Big Ten fans, going to USC games means the high probability of also participating in one of Los Angeles’s great icons: horrendous, confusing traffic, especially on our freeways.

The Not So Obvious: Here’s the deal, Big Ten fans. In the old days, the giant grid of freeways and “tollways” (AKA Express or Diamond Lanes) made driving the freeways “somewhat” manageable. There was a time when the freeways were only crowded during the morning and evening rush hour and limited to Monday thru Friday. This is no longer the case. It’s now Monday thru Saturday, and Sunday can have its challenges for folks returning home from one direction to another. If you are coming to L.A. to watch your favorite Big Ten team play USC, your rental car better come equipped with a GPS system, and it’s best to know you should arrive at least three hours prior to a Coliseum kickoff.

Big Ten fans coming to Los Angeles in 2024 would be strongly advised to get a GPS system if renting a car.

The Obvious: Depending on the kickoff times, there is a lot to do in the surrounding area where the Coliseum is located.

The Not So Obvious: FYI, the Coliseum is located across the street from the USC campus in an area called Exposition Park, which also includes many outstanding museums – the Natural Museum of Los Angeles County, California Science Museum, California African American Museum, and the under-construction newest museum to open in 2026, the George Lucas – he of Star Wars fame and a graduate of USC – Museum of Narrative Art. The Lucas Museum is breathtaking in its size and scope and figures to be one of the most anticipated museum openings in Los Angeles. Truthfully, you could spend a day visiting all these Exposition Park museums.

Big Ten fans will see the new massive George Lucas Museum of Narrative Art on the Coliseum grounds, which is set to open in 2026.
(Photo above by Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The Obvious: When you come to Los Angeles, there are four airports in the area – LAX, Burbank, Long Beach, and Orange County John Wayne.

The Not So Obvious: If you’ve been or have friends who have been to SoCal, it’s beyond your imagination how enormous it is. If you’re just coming for the game, pick a spot like a beach area you’d like to spend most of your time. The key is planning ahead and listing what you’d like to see beyond the football game itself in the number of allotted days you’re here.

LAX is the main airport in Los Angeles, but there are other local airport options that fit where Big Ten fans are staying.
(Photo above by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The Obvious: Generally speaking, USC fans attending games are probably not as passionate as Big Ten fans unless…

The Not So Obvious: Unless the Trojans are playing Notre Dame or UCLA…or a nationally recognized opponent or a conference title is on the line. This figures to change with the arrival of intense Big Ten fans. In big home games, USC fans can be as intense as any fan base in the country. When USC fans see the intensity of Big Ten fans, they will definitely rise to the occasion. If USC is not playing like USC (AKA losing), fans will move past them to the next sports team or just head for the beach or a concert. It is the nature of our area. L.A. only accepts winners. Teams in our area can take a “off year,” but the following season better bounce back.

FYI, Trojans fans will always get up for teams like Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, Oklahoma, and Alabama. With all due respect, SC fans just aren’t into playing the likes of Coastal Carolina, UC Davis, Akron, or Sacramento State.

The Obvious: And finally, the O/NSO is just scratching the surface of what is USC football.

The Not So Obvious: With a little over a year to go before the Trojans begin Big Ten football competition, just consider this O/NSO column Chapter 1 in your indoctrination. More to come as we get closer to 2024. For now, Big Ten fans might want to start making general vacation planning while waiting for specific playing dates for those lucky universities coming to Los Angeles next year. You may have been to L.A. before, but not for a USC game, which is now on your bucket list.

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