The No. 13-ranked Trojans have the college football world buzzing this week after their 27-20 spotlight win over LSU in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Much of that buzz, of course, centers around USC's eye-opening defensive performance just one game in under new coordinator D'Anton Lynn.

If he keeps it up, Lynn might be on the fast track to a head coaching job in the near future, having already pulled off one incredible defensive turnaround last season at UCLA and now giving every indication of an encore performance here with the Trojans. But that's something USC fans can fret over later.

For now, what matters is that Lynn's defensive impact is elevating expectations for this 2024 Trojan team.

RELATED: Matchup Breakdown: Scouting Utah State | PODCAST: Max Browne's takeaways from USC's win over LSU

One can point to the fact that USC forced a highly-regarded LSU offense into four punts, a turnover on downs and an interception within its 10 possessions Sunday while allowing just two touchdowns. Or that it held the Tigers' highly-touted rushing attack to just 113 yards on the ground. Or came up clutch in the biggest moments. Or had its best defensive performance against a ranked team since 2019. Etc.

But what stands out just as much is how the players spoke of Lynn afterward.

"I would say he's actually a lot more relaxed and not super uptight because he knows that we're going to play good ball, so he trusts in us," safety Akili Arnold said. "Just him always being calm, not always flipping out -- if something happens, it happens. It's just part of the game. ... I'm proud to play for him."

Said defensive end Braylan Shelby: "He's amazing. His coaching style is kind of laid-back, but it's because he has trust in us. Like Akili said earlier, he has the most amount of trust in us. He comes around and encourages us 247. He takes control of the defense and he's one of the greatest coaches out there."

Maybe linebacker Eric Gentry put it best, when asked why he thinks the tackling was suddenly so much better than it had been the last few seasons.

"Our coaches," he said with a laugh and shrug before repeating it. "Our coaches."

The players are not only fully bought into Lynn and this new defensive staff, but they're feeding of it in a way we just never saw, honestly, going back several defensive coordinators now.

What's more is that several players seemed earnest in making the point that they didn't actually think they played to their potential defensively last week.

"We played a solid game defensively, offensively, whatever. But when we look back at the tape, we didn't really do nowhere near as good as we believe we should have, just looking at technique and stuff like that," defensive end Jamil Muhammad said. "So while we do have the confidence, we also have that edge about us, like, 'Dang, if only we had done this, maybe it would have been 34-20', whatever the case may be. While there's some excitement, there's also some built up anger. We're ready to get to it this week."

This week brings what should be the most favorable matchup on the schedule with a Utah State team out of the Mountain West Conference coming off a 6-7 season that fired its coach over the summer for off-field matters and is now led by an interim in Nate Dreiling, a first-time head coach.

The Aggies have talent on offense -- specifically first-team All-Mountain West wide receiver Jalen Royals, along with five returning starters back on the offensive line -- but it's unclear who will start at quarterback Saturday night between expected season starter Spencer Petras (who was injured last week) and Utah transfer Bryson Barnes.

Regardless, this is a prime opportunity for the Trojans to continue building momentum -- especially on the defensive side.

"I told you guys the whole time, I felt like even when practice started, we took to it quickly. That’s a credit to our defensive coaches, to our players," head coach Lincoln Riley said. "... I think there’s a real hunger in this program to get back to playing elite defense that you expect at USC. All of us involved feel that and are incredibly motivated to get it done. ...

"Everybody’s been hungry to do it. And typically when you get a lot of good people pointed on the same page, some good things can happen. Excited about the start. Like the whole team – there’s a whole long ways to go. We felt like we left a lot on the table defensively as well, which obviously that’s exciting as well."

Meanwhile, here's how our staff sees the storylines and matchup Saturday night ...

How much did last week change your outlook for the Trojans this season?

Ryan Young: Certainly a little bit. I went with a 9-3 season prediction to start, and I don't know if I'd adjust that just yet, but I do feel much better about it as well as the chances of USC exceeding that bar. I also don't feel there's any games on the schedule they can't win. I was already a Miller Moss believer, so his strong season debut only bolstered my outlook for his upside this season (and that of the offense in general). And while I was also a D'Anton Lynn believer, the defense was better than I anticipated. That, obviously, was the eye-opener for most observers last week. To play like that right out of the gates, under a huge spotlight, against a top SEC team ... I actually believe linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold when he says they're only going to get better moving forward. That's what raises the bar on this season for me. I expected the defense to have a chance at a top-50 national finish -- now, I could see it being even better than that. Which firmly makes USC a legit Big Ten and playoff contender, in my eyes.

Jeff McCulloch: Since I was the only one here to pick them to win the game, it didn’t change much. Their defense playing so well did surprise me, however. That was a solid LSU team. Yes, they were overrated but still a quality SEC team. If anything, I think the sky is the limit for this team.

Tajwar Khandaker: The LSU game was always going to play a big part in the shaping of expectations for this season, win or lose. With a win that showcased legitimate potential on both sides of the ball, there's every reason to now view the Trojans as contenders for the 12-team playoff. With four games of high-level difficulty on the schedule and a defense that we couldn't yet believe in, it was difficult to project this USC team ending up in the final 12 during the preseason. Now having notched a win against an LSU team that played rather well, it doesn't feel as though any of the tough matchups on the Trojans' schedule are unwinnable. The defense was schematically sound, tackled well and played hard; as long as those things are true, a Lincoln Riley-led USC should compete against anyone.

What was the biggest surprise, good or bad, on offense last week?

Ryan: Without question, it was wide receiver Kyron Hudson. I thought the sophomore quartet would dominate snaps and targets among the wide receivers, with Hudson and Kyle Ford behind them. But Hudson not only led the team in receiving with 5 catches for 83 yards but also led all receivers in snaps. I know the coaches trust Hudson and think highly of him, but that was the case last season too and he remained in a limited complementary role. Maybe that indeed changes this year for the for the fourth-year wideout.