IMHO Sunday: A USC foreshadowing of 2024 Big Ten kickoff times
In my humble opinion, cardinal and gold thoughts on what I see, what I hear, and what I think from Los Angeles:
Big Change TV: For those of us that have lived and dreaded 7:30 p.m. kickoffs on the West Coast for games that can last until 11 p.m. or longer, there’s apparently going to be a welcome culture reprieve in 2024, courtesy of our soon-to-be-beloved Big Ten Conference. In the current 2023 Big Ten football schedule on its various platforms, no games will come to the West Coast after 5 p.m., which translates to 8 p.m. on the East Coast and 7 p.m. in the Midwest.
Big Change TV – Part 2: While the Pac-12 goes round and round and continues to lose teams while still searching for a future TV contract, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said at Big Ten Media Day last Wednesday, “Last season, 27 of the 30 most-watched college football telecasts were on broadcast television. This season, the Big Ten will have more games on broadcast TV than any other conference. When the new deal is fully implemented in 2024, we will have 45 broadcast TV games. Big Ten fans will move seamlessly from Fox to CBS to NBC.” That’s us, USC fans.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti
(Photo above by © Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports)
Big Change TV – Part 3: Beginning in 2024, each week will feature a Big Ten tripleheader on the three networks: Fox will show a Big Noon Kickoff game, CBS will have the 3:30 p.m. slot, and NBC is introducing Big Ten Saturday night with a 7:30 p.m. game. Let’s translate for USC fans: Big Noon Kickoff starts at 9 a.m., CBS games will be aired at 12:30 p.m., and NBC prime time will feature Saturday night game that kicks off at 4:30. p.m.
Big Change TV – Part 4: The Trojans get a taste of the NBC Saturday night game this season when the Trojans play at Notre Dame, and kick-off is 7:30 p.m. East Coast time, which translates to a 4:30 p.m. kickoff on the West Coast. FYI, South Bend is on East Coast time for those keeping score.
It won’t be daylight when the Trojans play at Notre Dame with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff time in South Bend.
(Photo above by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Big Change TV – Part 5: So, it figures that in 2024 the Trojans will probably be playing home games with kickoffs at either 12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., or 4:30 p.m. The real question is, when the Trojans are on the road in the Midwest and the Northeast, will they be exempt from kickoff times that are 9 a.m. on the West Coast? As we have learned from the past, a West Coast team having to play at 9 a.m., let’s say at Maryland or Rutgers, is an obvious major disadvantage. With that in mind, consider all the networks want the full window of getting the most viewers in Los Angeles, the second biggest viewership in the country behind New York City, which has no college football team unless you want to say Rutgers in New Jersey.
Big Change TV – Part 6: For the record, Fox got preference with the Big Ten Championship Game, which will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium at least through 2024. Fox will broadcast the game in ’23, ’25, ’27, and ’29, while CBS has the game in ‘24 and ‘28 and NBC in ‘26. You can probably expect that the Big Ten is itching to get some of its conference championship games at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood to increase its SoCal wing of this new “national coast-to-coast” conference.
Lucas Oil Stadium is the site of the Big Ten Conference Championship in 2023.
(Photo above by MSA/Icon Sportswire/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Big Change TV – Part 7: According to the Big Ten, the 2023 football season will use broadcast, cable, and direct-to-consumer platforms to get their games to the public. In addition to its three broadcast platforms (CBS, FOX and NBC), the Big Ten Network and FS1 will continue to carry games on cable networks. All games televised on CBS will also be available for streaming on Paramount+, while all games on Big Ten Network, FOX, and FS1 will be available on the FOX Sports App.
Big Change TV – Part 8: This season, NBCUniversal’s direct-to-consumer platform, Peacock, will also carry Big Ten games live for the first time. All games televised on NBC will also be available for live streaming on Peacock, while games exclusive to Peacock will only be available on the platform.
NBC Sports is joining the Big Ten Conference
(Photo above by Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports)
Big Change TV – Part 9: Meanwhile, the Pac-12 continues to fade badly with now Colorado joining USC and UCLA in leaving the conference after this season. The Buffaloes are returning to their original conference home, the Big 12. Future Pac-12 TV rights for after this season have still yet to be determined and announced. With the constant threat of more teams exiting the conference, there appears to be no end to the demise of this once-stable West Coast football region. It is pathetic.
Summation: So, my friends, while the 2023 season has the potential to be a very special time for all Trojans fans on the field, they will still be confronted with some very uncomfortable 7:30 p.m. Coliseum kickoff times, beginning with Saturday night, Sept. 9, against Stanford. There could be other 7:30 p.m. kickoffs along the way in 2023 for Pac-12 games. However, the good news, it appears that 7:30 p.m. kickoffs for USC will be in the rearview mirror in 2024, thanks to “our” Big Ten Conference.
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The Lincoln Riley quotebook…
USC head coach Lincoln Riley speaks to the media following the first fall camp practice of the 2023 season.
(Photo above by Erik McKinney)
Now that he has been in L.A. for coming up on two years and has completed his first season and looking forward to his second season, head coach Lincoln Riley truly gets the L.A. sports fans.
Riley says, “LA is a place, as we’ve learned and a lot of us know, you have to prove it here. People are not going to show up (just) because. Like, to anything. You have to prove that it’s worth people’s time. And when you do, man, do they support it. And the atmospheres that are created are so special.”
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From the press box…
(Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
Nobody asked me…but: I liked the answer by defensive line coach Shaun Nua on what he looks for in his players. Nua said, “I want a player who is trustworthy on a championship level.”
Nobody asked me…but: It’s hard to get overly excited these days when a high school player gives a commitment and then decommits not long after and then commits to another school. Such is the case with class of 2024 “former “Trojans’ offensive line commit Manasse Itete from Modesto (Calif.) Central Catholic. Itete (6-4, 290) is expected to commit to Florida State.
Offensive tackle Manasse Itete from Modesto, Calif., has decommitted from USC and is rumored to be headed for Florida State.
(Photo above by Chad Simmons/On3)
Nobody asked me…but: What makes the Manassee Itete loss especially difficult to accept is the fact that he’s yet another California kid leaving the state and going across the country. Nobody, of course, could be more disappointed than Trojans’ offensive line coach Josh Hansen, who appeared to be well on his way to stocking the class of 2024 Trojans’ O-line room with difference-makers. To make things more unsettling is the fact that 4-star center commit Jason Zandamila (Clearwater, FL/ Academy International) is still being heavily recruited by the Florida Gators.
Nobody asked me…but: Watching the trainwreck that the Pac-12 is becoming with the latest loss of Colorado to the Big 12 for 2024, who will be next? It’s really pathetic to watch the linchpin of West Coast football, Pac-12, go down the drain. Who’s next? Arizona? ASU? Utah?
Will Arizona be next to leave the Pac-12?
(Photo above by Christopher Hook/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Nobody asked me…but: At this point, I don’t know what’s worse: Watching USC, UCLA, and Colorado depart the Pac-whatever or watching teams like SMU or San Diego State be the potential replacements.
Nobody asked me…but: The 2023 team I saw at Thursday’s media day inside the John McKay Center was the most impressive physically looking team I’ve seen of the Trojans in quite some time.
Nobody asked me…but: Asked what game made last season’s USC team begin to believe in itself, Trojans standout safety Calen Bullock said, “Oregon State.” Bullock, a 2023 preseason All-America who played his high school ball at Pasadena (Calif.) John Muir High, and said it’s just a 5-minute walk from his house to the Rose Bowl.
USC safety Calen Bullock answers questions at the Trojans’ media day before the start of 2023 fall camp.
(Photo above by Erik McKinney/WeAreSC)
Nobody asked me…but: Defensive tackle transfer Jack Sullivan (6-5, 275) from Plainfield, Illinois, told me that he really had never been to Southern California, but he loves the food and especially the L.A. beaches.
Nobody asked me…but: One of the big mysteries in life is what is the exact height and weight of junior linebacker Eric Gentry. Gentry, who says his height is now 6-7, surprised some members of the media on Thursday by saying he now weighs 223 pounds. Bottom line: Eric is now one big boy having stood next to him.
USC linebacker Eric Gentry
(Photo above by Erik McKinney/WeAreSC)
Nobody asked me…but: Two players that were very impressive looking physically at Thursday’s media day were a pair of transfers from each side of the ball. Running back Marshawn Lloyd (5-9, 215) and rush end Jamil Muhammad (6-1, 250) can get off the bus first for my team.
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The post-game show…
(Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images)
The Lake: Asked how he got his first name of Lake, Trojans tight end Lake McRee said his parents always like going to Lake Travis in Austin, Texas, and decided his first name would be Lake. His younger brother Keith has committed to Houston.
The journey: It’s been quite a journey for Trojans transfer rush end Jamil Muhammad, who began as a quarterback at Vanderbilt, then transferred to Georgia State and changed from offense to defense, and then to USC. Jamil understands that any thought of getting to the NFL will be on the defensive side of football. He told me on Thursday that he’s trying to convince Lincoln Riley to let him carry the ball in the Wildcat formation near the goal line. Originally from Alabama, he has a brother who has lived in L.A. for five years.
USC rush end Jamil Muhammad
(Photo above by Greg Katz/WeAreSC)
The Rock: In watching Trojans defensive lineman Solomon Tuliaupupu being interviewed, his facial mannerisms of his eyebrows reminded me of former Miami Hurricane and movie star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. “Solo”, who has overcome injury after injury, is really a very energetic and delightful kid that is not hard to root for in 2023.
Raising the Barr: Now in his fifth season of college ball, playing for USC probably means even more to him than others, so when you hear defensive tackle Anthony Barr (6-2, 290), the transfer from Arizona, said his childhood dream was to play at USC, it really comes off as authentic. He says his favorite Trojan has always been former defensive star Su’a Cravens.
Defensive tackle Anthony Barr
(Photo above by Greg Katz/WeAreSC)
The Bear: Naturally, the media wanted to find out more about Georgia transfer defensive lineman Bear Alexander. His father also went by the same name of Bear, and USC’s Bear is to fulfill his father’s dream of playing college football. Naturally, when asked what he liked to do in Southern California, you would expect that with a nickname of “Bear” you aren’t shocked when he identifies as “a nature guy” and loves hiking.
Shocking: Trojans’ safety Bryson Shaw, who played at Ohio State before transferring to USC, said he “didn’t see it coming” when it was announced that USC would be in the Big Ten in 2024 and would be playing his former school.
USC safety Bryson Shaw
(Photo above by Greg Katz/ WeAreSC)
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The Call-in Show…
Caller No. 1: Mr. Greg, I read where you said this team has the look of a conference or national championship contender. What did you mean by that?
Caller No. 1, this team looks a lot different from recent USC teams, including last season’s 11-3 team. The 2023 team just looks not only more physically mature but emotionally mature. They certainly pass the eyeball test.
Caller No. 2, Grego, is there still time to find lodging for the Oregon and Notre Dame game?
Caller No. 2, funny you should ask. My fellow WeAreSC colleagues asked the same question. To my knowledge, there is basically no hotel in either the Eugene or South Bend area and some of the very few will cost you an arm and a leg. I made my reservations a long time ago for fear there wouldn’t be anything available in either location if I waited too long.
Lodging and a game ticket will be tough for the Oregon/USC game in Eugene.
(Photo above by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
Caller No. 3: Mr. Katz, given your choice, would you rather tailgate on the USC campus or next to the Coliseum in Exposition Park?
Caller No. 3, the truth is I am not a real tailgater, but if I had a choice, it would definitely be in Exposition Park.
Caller No. 4: G-man, are you concerned we don’t have a quarterback commitment for the class of 2024?
Caller No.4, I would be concerned if Lincoln Riley was concerned, which I don’t think he is. The last thing I would worry about is Riley finding a standout quarterback for the Trojans.
Can Lincoln Riley find another future USC quarterback like Caleb Williams?
(Photo above provided by United Airlines)
Caller No. 5: Gregory, a stupid question, but what household appliance is the most important to you?
Caller No. 5, recently my air conditioning wasn’t working, and this was during a really hot day. I thought I was going to bake, and I reminded myself that “air conditioning is life!”
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The Last Word…
In Tuesday’s edition of Inside the Trojans’ Huddle, panelists Marc Kulkin, Erik McKinney, Chris Arledge, and Greg Katz gave their opinions and analysis of the defensive position units heading into Friday’s opening of training camp, review of Pac-12 Media Day; recruiting, and viewers’ questions and panel answers.
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