To get it out of the way, yes, this column has previously called for the firing of a major USC head coach. But no, today is not the day to call for the removal of USC football Head Coach Lincoln Riley.

For now, Trojan fans who are upset with the direction of the football program (3-4, 1-4 Big Ten) should take a break from Riley and co. and focus their efforts elsewhere. Look to any other corner of USC Athletics, and you’ll find major successes on grand stages, particularly in women’s soccer (13-1-2, 9-0-1) and women’s volleyball (14-4, 6-2).

Both squads are in their first year in the Big Ten, and their transitions could not have gone any smoother, despite reservations from this columnist.

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Women’s soccer

The No. 6 Trojans still have yet to lose against any Big Ten team, a conference with six squads in Sunday’s United Soccer Coaches Poll.

Even when USC was on a three-match winning streak in Big Ten play, the team seemed doomed to struggle eventually with teams like No. 15 Penn State (11-4-3, 5-3-2) and No. 21 Ohio State (10-4-3, 5-3-2) still on the schedule.

But the Trojans were able to handle those challenges and now sit atop the conference standings. Only a tilt with the No. 8 UCLA Bruins (13-2-3, 8-0-2) remains to see which Los Angeles team will pull off the impressive feat of topping the league in its first Big Ten campaign.

If USC wins or draws, it will be the Trojans who win the conference, but if UCLA pulls out the upset at Dignity Health Sports Park’s main stadium — where the L.A. Galaxy normally play — the Bruins will take home the crown.

While this comes as no true surprise — the Bruins and Trojans have each won a national championship more recently than any other Big Ten team — it is still impressive that neither squad underwent any semblance of a difficult transition to new road trips, new teams to play or, in USC’s case, a lack of a true home stadium.

Now, the Trojans and Bruins have their yearly showdown with major implications. While the Big Ten Tournament still looms, the regular season champion will be a team new to the Big Ten in any scenario.

USC was, up until last week, disrespected in the national polls but jumped up a full 10 spots from No. 19 to No. 9 in the poll that accounted for games through Oct. 13. Head Coach Jane Alukonis’ squad continued the jump, moving all the way to No. 6 in this week’s rankings.

It is still hard to say how far this squad can go in the NCAA Tournament with only two ranked wins under its belt, but the bout with the Bruins will be a good litmus test for the Trojans.

There could not be a better storybook ending than a crosstown showdown for all the marbles, but grab your popcorn because that’s what’s happening this Sunday at an MLS stadium.

Women’s volleyball

This is the much more surprising outcome.

While the women’s soccer team has two national championships this century, the women’s volleyball team has not won one since 2003, despite a rich history of six total national titles. On top of that, the Trojans joined perhaps the most brutal conference regarding women’s volleyball. Current Big Ten teams have won 15 of the 24 national championships since the turn of the century.

But, despite suffering two sweeps on the road at the hands of No. 2 Nebraska (18-1, 8-0) and No. 11 Oregon (14-3, 6-2), the Trojans are on a three-match winning streak and are undefeated in four five-set matches on the year.

A strong newcomer core of graduate outside hitter Ally Batenhorst, freshman outside hitter Jadyn Livings and freshman middle blocker Favor Anyanwu — three of the team’s top-four killers, along with the return of redshirt sophomore opposite hitter Adonia Faumuina — the squad’s second-leading killer — from long-term injury has this team sitting tied for fourth in the Big Ten.

While the team’s 1-4 record against ranked teams suggests a major tournament run is unlikely at this point in the campaign, the Trojans have 12 more matches in the regular season, including a showdown on Saturday with No. 3 Penn State (18-1, 8-0), to improve that mark.

USC football has struggled in its first year in a new conference, but the move to the Big Ten for other programs has proven successful, at least in the fall.

So stop hating on a football team that will continue to disappoint and look to the women’s volleyball and soccer teams for some high-level play and even a chance at a conference championship this weekend.

Thomas Johnson is a senior writing about USC’s arrival to a new conference and all of the implications surrounding the entrance in his column, “Big Ten Bites,” which runs every other Wednesday.