Trojans Wired

Producer and co-host Ian Hest, who resides in South Florida, describes the challenge of trying to find a way to watch the USC-Oregon State game on Pac-12 Network. The story is both sad and hilarious, and it underscores why USC left for the Big Ten.

Matt and Ian discuss the Trojans' huge 17-14 win at Oregon State and spend some time looking ahead to the Arizona State game.

A member of the No Truck Stops Pac-12 Podcast joins us to break down the Oregon State Beavers, giving us an inside look at USC's opponent in one of the biggest games of Week 4. We discuss both Oregon State's and USC's recent games against a common opponent, Fresno State. We look at the injury situation and how Oregon State should attack USC's vulnerable defense.

Matt and Ian dive into the Rice game, the key plot points this Saturday, and the big questions facing USC football this season at the start of the Lincoln Riley era.

The editors of Ducks Wire and Buffaloes Wire join the show to give their top five teams in the Pac-12 for 2022, including their Pac-12 Championship Game matchups. We discuss other teams in the conference as well, and we end the show with one bold prediction for the conference this season.

Zach Neel, the editor of Ducks Wire, and Jack Carlough, the editor of Buffaloes Wire, join the show to give listeners an inside look at their two teams. Learn all about the 2022 Oregon Ducks and Colorado Buffaloes -- where they figure to be strong, what questions remain on the roster, and what pressure points they face before the season begins.

Our Riley Files series concludes with an X-and-O episode on the tactical acuity and chalkboard instincts of Lincoln Riley. How does he handle quarterbacks? What kinds of adjustments does he make? What will this mean for Caleb Williams at USC? 

What gets overlooked in the national conversation about Lincoln Riley? What aspects of his identity don't receive enough attention or exploration, and why is it important?

Ducks Wire editor Zachary Neel and Buffaloes Wire editor Jack Carlough discuss the ins and outs of realignment as it relates to their schools, Oregon and Colorado, plus the rest of the Pac-12. How will the college sports map look five years from now, and what scenarios should we expect, dismiss, or want to see in college sports?

If a Big Ten school makes a coaching change in 2024 or 2025, what kind of coach should it hire in order to beat USC and Lincoln Riley? What is the larger template or profile of a coach who would give Lincoln Riley problems?

How Lincoln Riley's new-look coaching staff at USC raises questions about Riley's ability to maintain his track record of elite performance. Riley had tremendous staff continuity at Oklahoma. He has a very different staff with a number of new pieces at USC. How concerning is it that Riley is riding with some new assistants in Los Angeles?

How Lincoln Riley's recruiting philosophy and approach will guide him at USC. How does Lincoln Riley build rosters? With the move to the Big Ten, how will his national recruiting strategy be affected? The Riley Files continue.

How do Lincoln Riley's recruiting results at Oklahoma -- his big successes and his notable failures -- shape the new landscape for him at USC? What aspects of Riley's performance as a recruiter are significant indicators for his tenure with the Trojans? The Riley Files continue, as our 12-part series rolls on.

We explore what Lincoln Riley did well at the University of Oklahoma, and where he also fell short. Which decisions were particularly successful, and when did Riley fail to play his cards right? OU insider Kegan Reneau continues our 12-part series on the track record and career of USC's head coach.

We go inside the tumultuous 2021 Oklahoma football season and try to resolve the question, "Why did Lincoln Riley leave OU and head to USC?" Did Lincoln Riley truly want to avoid the SEC, or is there a deeper answer people have not been able to discover? We get to the heart of the matter and unearth some insights which provide needed clarity on this question.

We explore how the Big 12 shaped Lincoln Riley. How did opposing coaches in the conference force him to adjust? Which defensive coordinators gave him the most trouble? What did Riley learn from going up against Iowa State and Jon Heacock, or Baylor and Matt Rhule and Dave Aranda? We dive into the details.

As our deep dive into the career of Lincoln Riley continues, we move into the world of player development, specifically quarterback development. How did Lincoln Riley work with Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, and how were those two quarterback relationships different from the ones which followed? Get plenty of insights on Baker and Kyler, plus Jalen Hurts, Spencer Rattler, and Caleb Williams.

The second installment of our special 12-part series on Lincoln Riley deals with his stewardship of the Oklahoma football program from 2017 through 2021. What happened behind the scenes? What decisions by Riley shaped the trajectory of Sooner football for better or worse? Get details on the ground from Oklahoma football insider Kegan Reneau, our guest for this summer series on Lincoln Riley.

We begin our deep dive into the career of Lincoln Riley, fleshed out in a series of 12 episodes. In this first episode, we look at the relationship between Riley and his former boss, Bob Stoops. It was Stoops who hired Riley as OU's offensive coordinator in 2015. How did these two men get along, and how did their relationship evolve?