The strangest thing about the response to USC hiring Lincoln Riley a year ago had nothing to do with the school itself. Riley was a home run. That much was obvious, and the only question seemed to be when he'd revive the Trojans program, not if. No, the real twist was in the way it was celebrated as a win for the entire Pac-12, a league so desperate for national relevancy that, even if its best team made a hire likely to upend the power structure of the rest of the league, it was still a communal celebration.
USC, Michigan deliver big with emphatic Week 13 wins
