The Trojans rank 57th in the country in pass attempts per game (31.7). Their top four receivers have accounted for 191 of 271 targets (70.5%) and caught 134 of 192 passes (69.8%). Meanwhile, USC ranks 92nd in the country in pass-blocking grade (63.1) and 93rd in run-blocking (56.6), per Pro Football Focus. That’s the predicament the Trojans find themselves in. With only three games left before the playoffs start, HC Lincoln Riley’s squad is pushing to cement its spot. And their HC? Well, he’s being cautious.

For Lincoln Riley and USC, the Week 12 B1G clash against the Iowa Hawkeyes carries more than one implication. With the conference rescheduling USC’s Week 13 matchup, the Week 12 showdown now comes with even higher stakes. The kickoff time for the USC–Oregon game will be confirmed after both teams’ Week 12 results. Riley spoke with the USC Athletics to discuss how his team has responded to the news.

“The more you win, the more important these become and the bigger the opportunities become. And so, our team is very well aware of that,” Lincoln Riley said on the November 10 episode of the show. Both USC and Oregon face strong opponents this week, with Iowa and Minnesota Golden Gophers, respectively. If any of these teams fail to win the game, the appeal of the following week’s clash would plummet and would most probably be allotted to an afternoon window rather than primetime.

The good news for the Trojans is that they enter the matchup as 6.5-point favorites against the Hawkeyes. However, even with those odds, Lincoln Riley must ensure his team stays sharp and avoids slipping up. With the regular season nearing its end, every team is hungry for wins. That means top contenders for the conferences must battle against challengers desperately climbing the standings for a shot at the playoffs.

So, Riley must lead his team to two B1G victories in just six days, a challenge that highlights the demanding schedule his squad has faced this season. “This year’s schedule has been so difficult. You get into a rhythm of the season, and then you have two conference games within six days,” Riley said on the show.

On the other side, sitting sixth in the conference, Iowa HC Kirk Ferentz has a golden opportunity to spoil both Lincoln Riley’s and Oregon HC Dan Lanning’s chances of landing a Week 13 primetime slot. That would only add to the troubles the Trojans have faced in recent weeks.

Amid the scheduling chaos, Lincoln Riley’s USC also found itself on the B1G’s notice

B1G’s troubles with Lincoln Riley do not end at just scheduling games. The head coach finds himself at the center of the conference’s notice for a play that occurred in the week 11 game against Northwestern. Early in the second quarter, the Trojans pulled off a fake punt on 4th and 6 from their own 46-yard line. Instead of a normal punt, they had their punter throw a 10-yard pass and get the first down.

However, the punter wearing the No. 80 jersey wasn’t Sam Johnson, but the Trojans’ third-string QB, Sam Huard. This confused the fans, players, and even the commentators. The officials didn’t penalize the play during the game, and USC benefited by continuing the drive and eventually scoring. In the Trojans’ defense, the team said it had changed Huard’s jersey number from No. 7 to No. 80 before the game. But the conference labeled the play as ‘unfair tactics’ in its statement.

While USC ultimately secured the win without a penalty, the program has now placed itself under the B1G’s watchful eye.