Trojans Outline Big Goals at Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas
The Big Ten preseason poll has Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon as the league’s top three teams heading into the 2025 season. Penn State was the clear favorite, receiving 35 of 54 first-place votes. But Oregon, Illinois and Michigan are all viewed as strong contenders to unseat the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions.
By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
The Big Ten preseason poll has Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon as the league’s top three teams heading into the 2025 season. Penn State was the clear favorite, receiving 35 of 54 first-place votes. But Oregon, Illinois and Michigan are all viewed as strong contenders to unseat the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions.
USC Football was ranked No. 9 in the preseason poll. Head coach Lincoln Riley, speaking at Big Ten Media Days in Las Vegas, made headlines by announcing the Trojans’ starting quarterback: Jayden Maiava.
Maiava named starting quarterback
The announcement was unusual because Maiava did not attend the event. Riley, known for developing quarterbacks who have gone on to NFL success, confirmed that Maiava will enter fall camp as the team’s starter.
Maiava started USC’s final four games last season following the benching of Miller Moss, who has since transferred to Louisville. Maiava led the Trojans to a 3-1 record in that stretch, including an eight-point win over Nebraska, despite committing seven turnovers across those games.
Freshman Husan Longstreet had also been in the mix for the starting job, but Riley said Maiava’s performance down the stretch sealed the decision.
“Nobody’s better than Lincoln at finding ways to use his quarterback’s talent and score points,” Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said. “They made a big jump last year on defense, too. We play them later in the season, and I just hope it’s cold and at night when they come to Lincoln.”
USC and Nebraska will meet again on Saturday, Nov. 1, in Lincoln.
Lemon emerging as offensive leader
The Trojans brought junior wide receiver Makai Lemon, redshirt sophomore offensive tackle Elijah Paige and redshirt junior safety Kamari Ramsey to Media Days.
Lemon, a Southern California native and former four-star recruit, has become one of USC’s offensive leaders. After playing both wide receiver and cornerback as a freshman in 2023, he focused on receiver full-time in 2024 and stepped into a starting role.
“Explosive plays — that’s what we want,” Lemon told reporters. “Not just 10 yards for a first down; we want touchdowns, we want the big play. We push each other in practice. If he gets a rep, I tell him he can do better, and he does the same for me.”
Lemon overcame a scary injury in Week 4 last season when he collided with a Michigan player while covering a punt and left the field in an ambulance. After missing one game, he returned to the lineup and quickly became a go-to target on offense and a dangerous returner on special teams.
He had three straight games in October where he set career highs in either receptions or receiving yards. His best performance came against Rutgers in Week 9, when he posted 256 all-purpose yards — the most by a USC player since 2016. Lemon finished the season leading the Trojans in both receptions (52) and receiving yards (764). He earned All-Big Ten Offensive Honorable Mention and All-Big Ten Third Team honors as a return specialist.
