USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley is writing a check that he may not be able to cash

When the USC Trojans played their first-ever Big Ten game against the defending champion Michigan Wolverines, it was immediately known that they just weren't ready for the new style and brand of football that they were introduced to on Saturday. It's different than the Pac 12, where, the Big Ten is all about toughness, grit, physicality, and trench warfare.

The Trojans lost the battle in the trenches, and they failed the toughness test . But, their season isn't over, and they still aren't out of the playoff hunt. There is still a chance they can make it, especially with the schedule they have left. But, the offensive line has to be better, as does the defensive line.

The good news is that they just played the best defensive line in the country, which could have four guys in the NFL in the next few years. The bad news is that, well, they didn't look amazing before this last game, and we knew that wasn't a strength coming into the season.

Now, they weren't bad at all the last two games, but they also weren't playing teams who pride themselves on their defensive line and pass rush. LSU is one of the worst defenses in the country if not the worst, and Utah State, well, they are Utah State.

But, with so many Big Ten games still left against some good defenses, Lincoln Riley is confident, very confident that the offensive line will be great this year.

"I'm very confident in that group’s ability to get back to playing like we did against LSU and Utah State," Riley said earlier this week. "We think that group can be really damn good, and I expect them to be that way this year, and they’re going to need all of our help."

Now, that could be Riley writing a check he may not be able to cash. Now, hear me out -- this offense is very good, but the offensive line is by far the biggest weakness of the offense. They are a reason the run game didn't get going as well as it should have last week against Michigan, and they are a reason the offense has stalled at times, too.

This last game was one of their three hardest games of the year. So, it's out of the way. But, it won't get any easier from here week to week. Every week will be a difficult week, even if it's a team at the bottom of the Big Ten. You won't see a Utah State again. Well, they do play UCLA.

This may be a check Riley can't cash. Or, he could be 100% right. But, the line hasn't shown any indication that they are on an upward trend.

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