It’s wild how quick fortunes turn in college football. USC’s off to a 2–0 tear, putting up a ridiculous 132 points in 2 weeks, and folks in L.A. are already whispering playoff runs. On the field, they are en route to their best season since 2022. Off the field? Logistical jam. The Trojans are quietly wrestling with what Lincoln Riley just called their proximity problem. Planes, miles, and bodies trying to stay fresh in a league built 2,000 miles east. Riley’s already had to make some tough calls to solve this.

USC’s first two games looked like highlight reels ripped straight from an EA’s College Football 26 trailer with one-hand catches and bomb throws. Missouri State rolled in Week 1 and got stomped, 73–13. Jayden Maiava threw with accuracy, King Miller powered through lanes, and Makai Lemon looked un-guardable. Week 2 against Georgia Southern? More of the same with a score of 59–20. This game had the Trojans go for 755 yards of offense, and a one-handed touchdown catch from Ja’Kobi Lane that should be on loop at ESPN. On paper, Riley’s squad looks diabolical and terrifying. But behind the curtain, the head coach is tinkering with travel plans like a scientist in the lab.

At his presser on September 9, Riley didn’t sugarcoat it. “I mean, we’ve even changed the type of airplane that we’re in,” he said, pointing out the grind of four-hour flights, time zones, and the reality of managing massive bodies on tight turnarounds. The message was simple. Travel fatigue is real, and USC can’t afford to let it clip their wings in Year 1 of Big Ten play.

Riley doubled down: “We’ve done a lot of research on sleep, and we all haven’t changed anything drastically from a standpoint. There are a couple of things throughout the week, and there, that will be getting kind of all, kind of all fits, like a puzzle, like one piece fits another, but there’s all things that we take into account, and I think some of those changes are going to be kept by this.” It’s not a quick and easy decision, dropping in how meal times, bed times, and even practice rhythms have been shuffled to survive these trips.

And these trips aren’t short little hops either. The next stop? Purdue? That’s 1,780 miles out. Illinois and Notre Dame? Both just shy of 1,800. Nebraska’s closer at 1,350, and Oregon’s the only “nearby” game at 960 miles. Stack it up and USC will grind through more than 15k miles of round trips this season, averaging 1,336 miles per road game. For context, most Big Ten schools barely leave a three-state bubble. It’s not just unfair, it’s also brutal. Riley saw his team gas out late in road games last year, and unless these adjustments click, history could repeat itself.

That’s where the so-called Harsh Proximity Problem becomes the ultimate opponent. The jet lag, crunched recovery windows, and practices that get chopped by logistics. Lincoln Riley framed it like a puzzle, small tweaks stacking together. But anyone watching knows the Trojans are playing against more than just a schedule. They’re fighting physics, fatigue, and time itself.

Meanwhile, a team like Miami is flexing the opposite setup. The Hurricanes won’t even leave the state of Florida until November, stacking 8 of their first 9 or 10 games at home or within the state of Florida. The Canes get to sleep in their own beds, practice on their own fields, and stack dubs without hopping on a plane until mid-season. USC players are basically racking up airline miles, while Miami’s coasting with home-field love. It’s a tale of two schedules and for Riley, the challenge is as much mental as it is physical.

Will the battle against Purdue provide a challenge?

Now comes the real gut check. USC’s first Big Ten road trip is no cupcake. Purdue under Barry Odom isn’t the same old Boilermakers. They’ve ripped out the old playbook, brought in 16 new transfers, and built a defense that’s already smacking teams in the mouth. Ball State got blanked in Week 1. Southern Illinois managed just three points after the opening drives in Week 2. Through two games, Purdue’s allowing only 4.34 yards per play. A massive jump from last year’s ugly 6.76.

Riley admitted as much on his Monday show. “You look at some of the portal additions, some of the roster decisions they made, they brought in some really good, impactful players,” he said. He’s not wrong. Safety Tahj Ra-El’s flying around the field, CJ Nunnally IV is already one of the Big Ten’s sack leaders, and linebacker Charles Correa is living in opposing backfields. 9 of Purdue’s top 12 graded defenders are new faces, and the chemistry’s coming fast. For a USC offense that’s been feasting on lower-tier squads, this is the first legit war.

That’s the twist. USC’s averaging 66 points a game, leading the nation in scoring, but they’ve done it against Missouri State and Georgia Southern. Purdue’s no powerhouse, but their defense is battle-tested in a way USC hasn’t seen yet. If the Trojans roll in sluggish from the travel and Purdue comes in with that chip-on-the-shoulder swagger? Upset alert is live. Purdue might be the first checkpoint, but the rest of the gauntlet is waiting: Illinois, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Oregon. So yeah, one of USC’s biggest challenges in 2025 might not wear a helmet. It might just be jetlag.