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David Pollack Names Historic College Football Program He’s ‘Super Interested’ In This Season

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 6:19 PM ET

The college football season is coming soon, and excitement and predictions are flying left and right.

College football analyst David Pollack dropped a new episode of "See Ball Get Ball With David Pollack," and he spoke about one program that he is "super interested" in for this upcoming season.

David Pollack 'Super Interested' in This Big Ten Program

Pollack spoke in detail about the USC Trojans in this segment.

"I am super interested to watch USC this year," Pollack said. "Here's the hard part about their schedule, but here's the good part. ... They've got some serious challenges on the road, like at Notre Dame, at Illinois, at Oregon. That is a tough stretch.

"That schedule is not the worst schedule in the world and I think it's just a matter of how you feel about Lincoln Riley and what he's been doing while he's been there at USC."

Here is a look at USC's full schedule for the season:

vs. Missouri State
vs. Georgia Southern
at Purdue
vs. Michigan State
at Illinois
vs. Michigan
at Notre Dame
at Nebraska
vs. Northwestern
vs. Iowa
at Oregon
vs. UCLA

USC's second season in the Big Ten comes along with a somewhat favorable schedule. The Trojans avoid Indiana, Penn State, and Ohio State while playing Iowa and both Michigan schools in Los Angeles.

In 2024, USC finished 7-6 with a 4-5 Big Ten mark before beating Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl. Former UNLV quarterback Jayden Maiava returns after going 3-1 following the injury to Miller Moss, and the Trojans also have talented wide receivers such as Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane back in the fold.

Can Lincoln Riley Live Up to the Hype?

When Riley was hired in 2021, there were plenty of expectations.

Since then, it has been a bit of a rocky path for Riley. He has gone 26-14 in three seasons, with his only double-digit win year in 2022 with Caleb Williams under center.

USC's 2024 season was a roller coaster, and it included some questionable losses to teams such as Minnesota, Maryland and Washington.

This time, the schedule does fare well for USC, and there is a chance the team goes into the Sept. 27 showdown against Illinois with a 4-0 record in a potential top-25 showdown.

Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports predicted USC to finish seventh in the Big Ten, and Pollack is also curious to see how USC does in the fourth year of the Lincoln Riley era.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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