After USC lost to Oregon Saturday night, only one thing ran through my head. Is this what the future holds for the Trojans?

While all of the losses USC (7-4, 5-3 Pac-12) has suffered this season have come against ranked teams — a somewhat respectable figure — it will not get easier when the Trojans join the Big Ten. Oregon (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12) and Washington (10-0, 7-0 Pac-12), two of USC’s losses on the season, will be joining the Trojans in the new conference, and USC will continue to play Notre Dame (7-3) every year, another opponent who added a tally to the Trojans’ loss column this year.

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USC already received its conference schedule for the 2024 season, and the Trojans have three opponents currently in the College Football Playoff rankings for Big Ten play. Throw in an additional two ranked matchups for USC’s non-conference opponents, and its schedule is looking even rougher than this year.

Now, the question is whether the Trojans and Trojan fans are willing to lose multiple games a year because of how tough their schedules are. It’s already common for the Big Ten to see something like that. 

Often, particularly in recent years, the yearly matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) and Michigan Wolverines (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) — better known as simply “The Game” — decides which school goes to the CFP. USC could face a similar fate, as it will likely switch off between playing the likes of Washington and Oregon each year, then add UCLA, Notre Dame and other Big Ten powerhouses to the schedule, and the Trojans could be looking at three to four losses a season.

This season might not be indicative of anything, as the USC defense has hindered the offense led by Head Coach Lincoln Riley and junior quarterback Caleb Williams, as evidenced by the firing of former Defensive Coordinator Alex Grinch last Sunday. But if it is any indication of the future, the Trojans have a lot to be worried about.

As I wrote last week after USC lost to Washington 52-42, the Trojans are not built to win in their current state. While I do believe Grinch’s dismissal is a step in the right direction — as it shows Riley’s dedication to winning over his relationship with a man he’s worked with since his time at Oklahoma — it’s just that, a step.

The next step Riley needs to take is to make the right hire for the next defensive coordinator position. If the Grinch saga taught us anything, it’s that the wrong person at the helm of the defense can derail a historic offense.

But if Riley already made the wrong hire by bringing along Grinch, what suggests he will make the right hire this time? And even if Riley does make the perfect hire, will that person be able to turn around a defense that ranks 120 in scoring before the Trojans start Big Ten play?

There is a chance that can happen, albeit unlikely, given how bad the USC defense has been this season. Trojan fans can take solace — or not, depending on how you look at it — in the fact that the UCLA Bruins (6-4, 3-4 Pac-12) were able to make a quick and drastic defensive improvement between last season and this one after a coordinator change. 

UCLA went from allowing 29.0 points per game in 2022 to nearly halving that number by letting up a measly 16.4 per game this year. USC, comparatively, will try to improve on a defense that has allowed 34.6 points per game, still with one game left on the schedule.

What makes things even more complicated is that UCLA’s defensive turnaround might be skewed in part by the Bruins’ schedule, as they have only faced one offense that ranks in the top 40 for scoring this season. The Trojans have had to take on four such teams this year.

I’m not saying a defensive turnaround can’t be made between now and when the Trojans kick off next season Sept. 1. But their schedule is not going to do them any favors. And USC is without a defensive coordinator at this point. It’ll also likely be losing Williams to the NFL Draft, meaning its offense likely cannot bail out the defense as much without a generational talent at quarterback. 

So, let me ask again: Is it too late to turn back? 

Only time, and Riley’s decision-making in the near future, will tell.

Thomas Johnson is a junior writing about USC’s move to a new conference and all of the implications surrounding the transition in his column, “Big Ten Bites,” which typically runs every other Monday. He is also the “Talkin’ Troy” podcast editor at the Daily Trojan.