The 2024 college football season has witnessed several powerhouse programs fall short of expectations, with the USC Trojans leading the list of disappointments. After a promising preseason, USC’s performance has been underwhelming. The Trojans, under head coach Lincoln Riley, have struggled to maintain momentum, suffering multiple losses that have dimmed their prospects. Most notably, their loss to Penn State in overtime, after leading by a comfortable margin, was a significant blow, putting them at a 3-3 record. Their defensive struggles and inconsistency have been major contributors to their downfall.
CBS Sports ranked the USC Trojans among the top ten “Most Disappointing Teams” of 2024, an unexpected spot for a team that started the season with high hopes. The Auburn Tigers topped the list, followed by Arizona, Florida State, Kansas, and Michigan. For the Trojans, this ranking comes after a promising start to the season, but the journey quickly took a nosedive.
USC’s season began with plenty of optimism after they pulled off an impressive win against LSU in their opening game. That victory had fans excited, and the momentum continued to build after a second win against Utah State. With a 2-0 start, the Trojans climbed all the way up to No. 11 in the AP Poll, looking like a team that could make a serious run this year. However, that high quickly faded, and their season took a turn for the worse.
After being ranked No. 11, USC faced off against the Michigan Wolverines in Week Four, a game that seemed winnable for the Trojans. Late in the game, USC held a lead, only to have Michigan snatch victory with a last-second touchdown, securing a 27-24 win. This heartbreaking loss set the tone for the rest of the Trojans’ season, as it exposed a recurring theme: USC could not hold onto fourth-quarter leads.
What’s particularly painful for Trojan fans is that in all four of the team’s losses, they were leading in the final quarter. The collapse started with the Michigan game, but things continued to unravel. The following week against Minnesota, USC was up 17-10 in the fourth quarter, only to be outscored 14-0, handing the Golden Gophers a 24-17 win.
The next game was even more painful. USC returned home to face Penn State and looked to be in control early, with a 20-6 lead at halftime. But Penn State clawed their way back, eventually tying the game late. USC managed to regain the lead, 30-23, with four minutes left. Yet, just as they had done before, the Trojans let it slip away, allowing Penn State to tie the game and send it to overtime, where the Nittany Lions walked away with a 33-30 victory.
As if the previous losses weren’t bad enough, the worst came the following week against Maryland. Leading 28-14 in the fourth quarter, USC was in the driver’s seat once again. But in an all-too-familiar scenario, the Terrapins scored 15 points in the final quarter, sealing a 29-28 win and leaving USC with another painful defeat.
These repeated fourth-quarter collapses have been hard to swallow for USC fans, especially given the talent on their roster. The Trojans have consistently had the upper hand in terms of skill, but they’ve been unable to close out games. What’s even more troubling is that all of these losses have come in conference play. USC, in its inaugural season in the Big Ten, sits at a disappointing 1-4 in conference matchups.
These four teams – USC, Florida State, Michigan, and Auburn—entered the season with lofty expectations but have, so far, delivered frustrating results. Fans and analysts alike expected much more, and the pressure is mounting on coaches and players to turn things around in the latter half of the season.