Across the country from each other, No. 23 USC and No. 13 LSU share multiple similarities. 

Both teams will begin the 2024 campaign with new defensive coordinators, starting quarterbacks that sat in the shadows of Heisman-level starters for multiple seasons and head coaches with two years of oversight at their respective schools.

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However, in the teams’ first matchup in nearly four decades, the Trojans find themselves making a switch far more impactful: joining the Big Ten Conference.

USC’s first-ever battle as a member of the reshaped conference will not only occur under the neon backdrop of Las Vegas but will feature roster shifts, highly touted newcomers and a new tradition.

“The first game, there’s always a sense of new and excitement and you’re kind of waiting to see what you really are and what the opponent really is,” said USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley after practice Tuesday.

USC redshirt junior quarterback Miller Moss will take the stage following a record-breaking Holiday Bowl performance in which he tossed 6 touchdowns and 372 yards en route to a 42-28 victory for Riley’s group.

Moss wasn’t the only Trojan to spark excitement for the inaugural Big Ten season following the Holiday Bowl. Then-freshman wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane broke out for 2 touchdowns, then-freshman wide receiver Makai Lemon recorded 75 yards and then-freshman wide receiver Duce Robinson nabbed a 44-yard touchdown to cap off the youngsters’ pass-catching showcase.

After losing multiple wideouts to the NFL, Moss will look to the dominantly sophomore-led group headlined by sophomore wide receiver Zachariah Branch to reel in his throws.

“Not being complacent, trying to get better in every area, being a good teammate, learning the playbook inside and out; things like that helped me over time,” Lane said. “Just trying to be able to go into the situation with a level head and not panic too much.”

The Trojans will also slot redshirt senior offensive lineman Jonah Monheim in at center, succeeding six-year Trojan Justin Dedich at the position.

“It’s a new position, so there’s a lot of different intricacies, just with snapping and stepping,” Monheim said. “But at the end of the day, it’s still O-line play, and I still got to do my job for the unit.”

USC’s backfield will feature an almost entirely new bunch, headlined by Mississippi State transfer, redshirt senior running back Woody Marks, plus redshirt freshman running back Quinten Joyner. The two hope to take advantage of LSU’s defense, which featured gaping holes in 2023, ranking 80th in scoring defense.

The Trojans’ defense in 2023 wasn’t successful either and led to the team’s eventual collapse late in the year. Enter new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, the man tasked with flipping the team’s defensive crew into an offensive-stopping juggernaut.

LSU brought in defensive coordinator Blake Baker to do the same, emphasizing the true mysteriousness of how the upcoming matchup’s defenses will hold up with brand-new hires.

Highly recruited newcomers on USC’s defensive side feature Florida State transfer, redshirt senior cornerback Greedy Vance Jr. and Vanderbilt transfer, redshirt senior defensive tackle Nate Clifton.

Tigers redshirt junior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier — like Moss — thrived in LSU’s bowl game last season after sitting behind the Tigers’ Heisman-winning, then-senior quarterback Jayden Daniels during the regular season and threw for just under 400 yards with 3 touchdowns to earn MVP honors. 

Nussmeier will try to connect with the only returning starter in the passing game, fifth-year senior wide receiver Kyren Lacy. Lacy largely sat behind 2024 No. 6 overall NFL draft pick wide receiver Malik Nabers and No. 23 selection wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. in 2023 and will strive for a successful breakout.

In his third season with USC, Riley will implement a new captain system in 2024. Instead of concrete captains for the whole season, each week will feature different ones. Against LSU, redshirt senior safety Akili Arnold, senior linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, redshirt junior wide receiver Kyron Hudson, Monheim and Moss will serve as captains.

“It’s going to be the five that we think are the best and most deserved,” Riley said.

USC’s last bout with an SEC team ended in a 52-6 loss for the Trojans in a neutral-site season-opener against Alabama in 2016.

In the dry autumn wind of Nevada’s desert, USC will aim for a golden night against its 2003 co-National Champion to officially begin its Big Ten journey. The house usually wins in Sin City, but as neutral-site opponents, either the Tigers or Trojans will score a needed jackpot to begin the new campaign off strong.

“These are the kind of games you come to USC to play in,” Moss said. “We’re all really excited.”

USC will meet LSU on Allegiant Stadium’s artificial turf Sunday at 4:30 p.m.