Stephen Herron

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Stand by for the latest string of Los Angeles Times headlines about the sagging USC football program:

"As high profile players leave, Lincoln Riley's recruiting challenges grow."

Uh-oh.

"USC quarterback Malachi Nelson intends to enter the transfer portal."

Gulp.

"USC's once-vaunted depth at receiver is no more: Will the Trojans regroup."

I think I get the picture. USC football is a clown show since the middle of October when the Trojans started their journey from 6-0 to 7-5.

At last count, at least 13 USC players have either opted out or entered the transfer portal, meaning they will not play against the University of Louisville in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27 in San Diego.

Quarterback Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, will invest his time in convincing an NFL team to make him the first pick in the 2024 Draft.

MarShawn Lloyd, USC's top rusher? Out. Brenden Rice, son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice and the Trojans' second-best receiver? Not playing at Petco Park.

Yes, Louisville will be without top halfback Jawhar Jordan as well as leading receiver Jamari Thrash. But considering the Trojans lost five of their last six and fired their defensive coordinator because they allowed an average of 42.8 points while doing that, this was not the performance that Riley, USC's genius coach, was paid at least $10 million to produce.

DraftKings has noticed, installing Louisville as a 7.5-point favorite to finish the season with the Cards' 11th victory.

A group of Louisville players have also noticed and they realize they must fly to San Diego this weekend and not worry about the ins and outs of USC's roster

"Playing a team is as dynamic as them whether you know they have some star guys playing or not, you have to prepare ," U of L defensive lineman Stephen Herron said. "Lincoln Riley is a crazy offensive mind, one of the best in the game right now.

"You have to respect that. They recruit just as well as anybody, so you kind of just have to treat it like a regular game, like a championship game, honestly, That's how they're treating it. I hope so ...

"... It's a challenge, I think in not letting yourself get ahead of anything. I wouldn't say you'd be playing down to them. They're great athletes just like anybody else. But not taking it for granted, not taking it lightly, they haven't played maybe as much."

"Obviously they're one of the top dogs, the blue bloods of college football and they have been for a long, long time," said U of L offensive tackle Eric Miller.

"It's a program with great tradition. They're going to have talent everywhere on the field. Obviously they've been on the wrong side of some close games against some really good teams, so they're a lot better than the record is going to show you.

"They're going to have dudes all over the place, man, and they're going to be athletic."

Let the record show this: USC has lost more talent for this game than Louisville for this game but the Trojans had more talent to lose.

Starting with 2019, the Trojans' last five recruiting classes ranked 20th, 68th, 8th, 6th and 7th at 247Sports. Average ranking about No. 23.

For Louisville during that period, the numbers are 71st, 44th, 41st, 35th and 24th. Average ranking, about 43rd.

USC is a program that has 32 players on 2023 NFL rosters. Williams was the school's seventh Heisman Trophy winner. The Trojans claims 11 national championships.

The Louisville players are not merely repeating items that coach Jeff Brohm wants them to say. Talent will not be a problem for USC in San Diego.

In the brave new world of opt-outs, the national playoff and transfer portal, motivation and mental edge figures to be the determing factor in this game.

Although USC is 7-5, a closer look at the Trojans' record shows three losses were to Top 20 teams — Washington, Oregon and Notre Dame.

Yes, Louisville defeated Notre Dame by 13 a week before the Irish defeated the Trojans by 28 in South Bend. But USC does not have an ugly loss like the one the Cardinals suffered against Pittsburgh.

A victory will bump the Cards to 11-3. A loss will send Brohm's team into the off season on back-to-back-to- back defeats.

"We didn't really end the season the way we wanted to the last two games," Miller said. "That's kind of stuck with everyone through the last couple weeks, month or so. It's kind of brought us a little more urgency to bowl prep."

"We are trying to emphasize to the guys that going into the offseason with the losses it changes how you look on the offseason," Herron said.

"It leaves that bad taste in your mouth. If you lose a few or what not and then you're able to come out on top against a good team in a bowl game at a good site, you go into the offseason with, still a little of that chip on your shoulder, but a little bit of a smile on your face and understanding that you guys still have what it takes, that you just let a few slip away."

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