Eyes on Vegas: USC-LSU highlights new era of college football

The Brian Kelly era at Louisiana State has been successful overall.

One area the No. 13-ranked Tigers would like to improve in is their season openers.

The third lid-lifter in Kelly’s run at Baton Rouge is a big one, with the Tigers opening the 2024 season against No. 23 Southern California at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.

The Vegas Kickoff Classic marks the third straight season the Tigers open at a neutral site. The past two times were against Florida State — at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans in 2022, then Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, in 2023.

Kelly’s LSU debut ended with a 24-23 loss capped by a missed extra point in the final seconds. The Seminoles dominated 45-24 last year.

“There’s a resolve there that you want to be prepared in any way that you want to come out victorious,” Kelly said. “I think they’re going to draw on experiences.”

LSU doesn’t need to worry about Florida State this time, but the Tigers will help usher in a new era of USC football.

The Trojans will play their first game as a member of the Big Ten following their long run in the Pac-12, making the leap to the new conference with Oregon, Washington and UCLA.

“Games like this are always fun,” USC coach Lincoln Riley said. “You’ve got two really good programs going at it, two really good football teams going at it, a great venue. You can’t ask for more than that.”

A new era

The landscape of college football has drastically changed. Players are capitalizing on their name, image and likeness, and the increase of players in the transfer portal makes it imperative for college football powers to stay competitive.

There’s also the matter of the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams beginning this season.

The four highest-ranked conference champions will receive first-round byes in the playoff. The eight other teams will meet in first-round matchups.

That doesn’t just mean a Week 1 LSU-USC matchup is huge on name value. Wins and losses have as big an impact as ever.

Conference realignment didn’t just affect the Big Ten. The Southeastern Conference was revamped with the additions of Oklahoma and Texas, with the latter making the College Football Playoff last season.

LSU is one of nine teams in the SEC ranked in the Top 25. USC is one of six ranked teams in the Big Ten, which includes last year’s national champion, No. 9 Michigan.

A loss for USC could push them outside the Top 25 after the first game, while an LSU loss could make things difficult in a crowded SEC.

New quarterbacks

It’s not just the conferences that present the biggest changes for LSU and USC. Who they have under center will be drastically different.

The Trojans and Tigers have had the best quarterbacks in college football the past two seasons. They then went 1-2 in this year’s NFL draft, with Caleb Williams (USC) going first to the Chicago Bears and Jayden Daniels (LSU) to the Washington Commanders.

Both programs are going from Heisman Trophy winners — Williams in 2022 and Daniels last season — to signal-callers with one college start each under their belts, both coming in last year’s bowl games.

USC junior Miller Moss led the Trojans to a 42-28 win over Louisville with a Holiday Bowl-record six touchdown passes.

Tigers junior Garrett Nussmeier set school records for an LSU quarterback making his first start with completions (31) and passing yards (395) in a 35-31 win over Wisconsin in the ReliaQuest Bowl.

Nussmeier will have the advantage in terms of protection. LSU’s offensive line has a combined 98 starts among the five linemen, including preseason All-American left tackle Will Campbell.

“In this era in college football, guys are quick to pick up and leave if things don’t go their way. He’s the complete opposite,” Campbell said. “He’s waited his turn. I think he’s one of the most explosive playmakers in the country. He deserves everything that’s about to come his way.”

This will also mark the return of former UNLV quarterback Jayden Maiava to Las Vegas. The sophomore quarterback transferred to USC in January after leading the Rebels to their first bowl appearance since 2013. Maiava will be Moss’ backup.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.