close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

Is USC Trojans the healthiest team in the Big Ten?
news

Is USC Trojans the healthiest team in the Big Ten?

The USC Trojans should have the healthiest team in the Big Ten Conference heading into their season opener.

New for the four former Pac-12 Conference teams this season, including USC, are availability reports. The Big Ten began using them last year. The reports indicate whether players are “out” or “questionable” and are released two hours before the start of a game.

According to the afternoon availability report, there are no Trojans scheduled to face the LSU Tigers, a record for Week 1 in the Big Ten.

USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during the first quarter at United Airlines Field in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Nov 18, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley during the first quarter at United Airlines Field in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

Other Big Ten teams had at least one player on their roster, such as the Michigan Spartans who were missing one player for their game with Florida Atlantic. The Iowa Hawkeyes had one out and one questionable for Illinois State, the Illinois Fighting Illini had two out and one questionable against Easter Illinois, and the Michigan Wolverines were missing three against Fresno State.

As for the other newcomers to the Big Ten, Oregon listed nine in their report, UCLA listed 14 and Washington reported eight.

The LSU Tigers must report availability for eight of their games this fall, though they are all SEC games. The SEC’s policy aligns more closely with professional leagues than the Big Ten’s, with availability reports due three days before football games and daily reports in the days leading up to a final report 90 minutes before kickoff. There are also more definitions required on the SEC reports: Available, Probable, Questionable, Doubtful, Out and Time Decision.

USC and LSU open the season against each other at 4:30 p.m. PDT from Las Vegas.

MORE: How LSU coach Brian Kelly plans to slow down USC Trojans star Zachariah Branch

MORE: USC Football Recruiting: Trojans to host three top recruits on Sunday against LSU

MORE: How Jamil Muhammad Can Anchor USC Trojans Defense Against Aggressive LSU Tigers

MORE: Is USC Trojans Beefy Defense Ready for LSU Tigers? Coach Riley Reveals ‘Differences’

MORE: Can USC Trojans quarterback Miller Moss pick up where Caleb Williams left off?

MORE: USC Football: Former Trojans Star WR Earns Super Bowl Candidate