Welcome to the Times of Troy, our weekly newsletter featuring all things Trojans athletics. Ryan Kartje, who covers USC football and men’s basketball for The Times, will be your host. To sign up to get this newsletter delivered every Monday to your inbox, click here .

Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where things are suddenly looking pretty sunny for the Trojans’ after a statement-making, 31-13 win over Michigan on Saturday night. This was precisely the sort of victory that has eluded Lincoln Riley over the previous three seasons. And now, at 5-1, USC heads to South Bend this week with a real chance to crash the College Football Playoff conversation for the first time since late 2022.

USC hasn’t won at Notre Dame since 2011, and its only trip under Riley, in 2023, was a

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