USC tried to back out of LSU game in 2024: Report

USC wanted to get out of playing LSU to open the 2024 college football season, according to a new report.

Nov 18, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during a college football game at the L.A. Coliseum / Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

One of the premier games set for the opening weekend of the 2024 college football season would not have been played as scheduled if one of the teams in the matchup had its way, according to a new report.

USC was trying to back out of its Week 1 game against LSU ever since hiring head football coach Lincoln Riley, according to Saturday Down South's Matt Hayes.

That effort lasted almost two years as USC apparently worked behind the scenes to find a way out of playing its SEC counterpart because Riley didn't want to play the game.

USC's attempts lasted until as recently as the start of last football season, when new athletic director Jen Cohen was still looking for a way out of the matchup, including an effort to offer other teams for LSU to square off against in Las Vegas.

USC apparently wasn't alone in trying to get out of the game: According to the SDS revelations, Fox Sports was also reportedly involved, hoping to avoid giving attention to its rival networks, ESPN and ABC, which are set to air the game.

Fox is set to be one of the big financial beneficiaries of USC moving to the Big Ten, given their contract with the league, and the network wasn't keen on one of the conference's marquee brands kicking off on another channel in such a big game.

But in the end, there was no way out for USC, which begins its third season under Riley and its debut season as a member of the Big Ten, against one of the best teams in the SEC.

(SDS)

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