LSU Tigers almost saw USC Trojans game canceled as Lincoln Riley's Trojans wanted out

The LSU Tigers will play one of the biggest games in the Week One slate when they travel to Las Vegas to take on the USC Trojans. Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly will be tied together for a long time as the two coaches arrived at their new landing spots in the same year. There will be no better way to bring in the new Era of College Football than watching two of the sports premier programs facing each other.

The LSU Tigers however, almost didn't get to face the USC Trojans as USC tried to get out of the matchup. According to Matt Hayes of Saturday Down South, the USC Trojans and Lincoln Riley tried everything they could to get out of this opening week matchup.

"USC tried for almost two years to find a way out of a contract to play LSU in Las Vegas because Lincoln Riley didn't want the game."

- Source to Matt Hayes

Hayes continues to state that at one point Fox Sports got involved to try and assist Riley as the Network wasn't excited about a new Big Ten school opening it's season on ESPN.

LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward and the Executive Director for the game John Saccenti were both in attendance at the SEC Spring Meetings and declined to comment on the report.

USC Trojans may be in trouble against LSU

After what was an utter disappointment in 2023, many are wondering what Lincoln Riley's team will look like in 2024 after losing Caleb Willimas. The reports that Lincoln Riley wanted out of this game should only raise alarm bells as they're now forced to line up against Brian Kelly's team. The USC Trojans' biggest issue has been being physical especially as they've struggled in the trenches which is an area where LSU is dominant. While USC Fans will try to be optimistic about the game, LSU's advantage in the trenches may lead to a dominant performance.