How Jim Harbaugh Defecting To NFL Will Impact USC Trojans' Big Ten Debut

The Trojans caught a major break already in the Big Ten!

The USC Trojans 2023 season was one to forget. They entered the year with high expectations to make the College Football Playoff after just barely missing it in 2022.

The program had reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams returning to the team, and the offense was set for another explosive season. The coaching staff believed that they had fixed the defensive issues that hurt them in the previous year.

But everything went downhill rather quickly for the team, and they found themselves looking outside the playoff picture. USC ultimately finished with a record of 7-5 on the season and ended up playing in the Holiday Bowl against Louisville.

It wasn’t the year that anyone envisioned, but the Trojans are now looking ahead to the exciting future that awaits them in the Big Ten. USC will be transitioning over to the new conference, and the competition looks to be much more fierce than in the Pac-12.

However, the Trojans may have just been given a break without ever taking a snap as a member of the conference. University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is leaving the Wolverines to pursue the head coaching job with the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL.

This is a big loss for Michigan and will likely hurt them going forward. But it’s great news for the Trojans, who can use it to their advantage next season.

USC faces off against Michigan early in the season in Ann Arbor, and it will still be a tough test for them. But without Harbaugh, the Wolverines may not have the same juice.

They are still the defending champions, and playing on the road is always a challenge. But the Trojans are confident that they can handle whatever the Big Ten throws at them.

They brought in new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to bring the defense back to life, much like he did for the rival UCLA Bruins a season ago. If Lynn can get the players into shape, the Trojans will be very difficult to deal with.

Head coach Lincoln Riley is an offensive genius, and his teams always have explosive offenses. His issue has been the inability to get stops, but they are banking on the guidance of Lynn changing things.

The Trojans have a fairly tough schedule coming up next season, opening up against a strong LSU team in Las Vegas. They go to Washington later in the season and play Notre Dame to close things out.

#USC's 2024 football schedule dates are now set:

Sep. 1 v. LSU [Las Vegas] 4:30 pm (Sun.)
Sep. 7 v. Utah St. [H]
Sep. 14 [Bye]
Sep. 21 @ Michigan
Sep. 28 v Wisconsin [H]
Oct. 5 @ Minnesota
Oct. 12 v. Penn St. [H]
Oct. 19 @ Maryland
Oct. 26 v. Rutgers [H]
Nov. 2 @… pic.twitter.com/pJ47oTqdxd

— USC Football News (@USCFootballNews) November 2, 2023

Not to mention, the onslaught of Big Ten games in the middle of their schedule. This is going to be a solid test for the Trojans in their first year in the new conference. But they seem up to the challenges ahead. 

The USC faithful has been waiting for this team to break through, and maybe this is the year it happens. The clock is ticking on Riley, and he needs to produce. If he doesn't, his time with the Trojans could run out much sooner than anyone would have believed.