SAN DIEGO -- When quarterback Miller Moss committed to USC as a local four-star prospect back in June of 2020, he shared at the time that he spent the next hour or so "just running around the house playing the USC fight song on the speaker."

He had grown up sporting a Matt Barkley jersey and can recall where he was when Sam Darnold led the Trojans to their last big bowl victory -- the dramatic Rose Bowl win over Penn State to cap the 2016 season.

Being the quarterback at USC was always the dream ... and after biding his time for three seasons, the dream is finally reality Wednesday as Moss leads the Trojans against No. 15-ranked Louisville in the Holiday Bowl.

At least for one game ...

With star quarterback Caleb Williams opting out of the bowl game while focusing on his NFL future, Moss makes his first collegiate start in what most see as his opportunity to make his case to be the full-time starter moving forward into 2024 -- even though the QB himself disagrees with that framing

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Moss has been asked every which way about the personal stakes at play Wednesday afternoon in Petco Park, but he won't bite.

"I think I just try to treat it like any other game. I'm obviously excited for the opportunity, but I'm not going to make it more than what it is."

"I come out here every day and try to earn and try to prove it, so this is just the next opportunity."

"I don't think it's necessarily been about seizing this opportunity -- it's just been about stepping into this role as a leader, going out and leading your team and taking care of business. It's not about, like, this is your big next opportunity -- it's just about handling your business each and every day, and I think if you do that everything will take care of itself."

Coach Lincoln Riley has been candid that he's evaluating the potential of adding not just one but perhaps even two transfer quarterbacks this offseason -- one to come in and compete for the job right away and ideally another younger quarterback to develop.

It would stand to reason that if Moss plays exceptionally well vs. Louisville's top-20 defense in the bowl game, it would help his positioning for whatever competition will await in the spring (and fall camp). Just as it would figure that if he struggles in his first opportunity in the spotlight, it might hasten Riley's urgency to bring in an established veteran quarterback transfer.

"He understands the opportunity that's here," Riley said. "You can argue he's been waiting three years for an opportunity like this, so he's very ready to play and the guys are ready to play around him."

Yes, Moss understands the big picture -- he's just making it clear every time he's prodded with questions about it that none of it fazes him or factors into the focus he has for a moment that has indeed been years in the making.

"Coach Riley has been very candid and open with me. I mean, I've been competing my whole life, so, let's go," Moss said of whatever the QB picture looks like in the spring. "... I've worked my whole life for this, and whatever comes after that I've worked my whole life for that."

As odd as it sounds on the surface given how dazzling a player he is, Williams not participating in this game has actually added to the intrigue of what would otherwise be a relatively low-stakes bowl game at the end of a disappointing season.

Instead, all eyes are on Moss, who has thrown just 59 passes over the last three seasons (for 542 yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs with 2 rushing TDs).

For fans, it's the intrigue of the unknown. For Riley and Moss' USC teammates, it's the confidence -- or hope -- that the quarterback they've seen find his voice and command on the practice field is ready to transfer that over to the big stage.

"He's a guy that has really hung in there. He's continued to put in work even though he wasn't the starter. He's learned our offense as good as any player on our roster and I think really earned the respect of the team. I know the coaching staff, the players around him are all really excited for him to play -- there's no question about it. Excited to see him get his opportunity," Riley said.

"... I think he's taken advantage of this six-week buildup to this. We've been able to pump a ton of reps into him, I know he's very confident in what we do and how we're going to do it and now you got to go execute it against a really good defense. That'll be obviously a big challenge but one I feel he's ready for."

The comments from Moss' teammates are every bit as compelling, meanwhile.

"He's a competitor. Every day he comes out here, he has the same swagger, same energy and he's just competing," wide receiver Tahj Washington said. "Like I said, he's been making crazy confident throws, so excited to see him play."

Said center Justin Dedich: "Seeing his growth from what, Cal Berkeley he went in that 2021 year, and seeing the player he is now is night and day difference. He's a vocal leader -- very vocally strong in terms of leading and pushing the guys. So I'm just excited for him."

And running back Austin Jones: "Miller is a really good quarterback and you're going to get an opportunity to see that. There's nothing that's going to faze [him] in the game. He's going to go out there, have fun and ball."

All of that is a large part of the reason Moss isn't making this opportunity out to be some singular audition upon which his USC future hinges.

Asked if there was anything he hoped to show people Wednesday, Moss countered that his objective isn't to surprise anyone with his performance -- it's to reaffirm what he believes he's already shown time and again to his coaches and teammates.

"Everyone who's opinion I care about is within these walls and they see it every day, so I'm just going to go out there and try to lead my team the best way I can and get a win," Moss said.

This time, there will just be a lot more eyes watching him -- just how the young QB in the Barkley Trojans jersey always dreamed it.