Good Morning! The Women of Troy check in near the top of the preseason AP Poll ahead of the 2024-25 season.

What else can you find in today's edition of The Three Torches?

🏈 Leinart inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame
🏀 The Eric Musselman era is underway
⚔️ And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Orange Has A New Best. Legendary USC quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner and national champion Matt Leinart became the first Trojan inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame. Leinart earned MVP honors in the 2005 Orange Bowl by throwing for 332 yards and 5 touchdowns, leading USC to a dominant 55-19 win over Oklahoma for the BCS National Championship. Leinart's 5 touchdown passes set a then-Orange Bowl record.

📚️ Read more about Leinart’s Orange Bowl accolades

🔼 First One of the Season. The Eric Musselman era is underway after USC men’s basketball earned a win in last night’s exhibition against UTSA. Saint Thomas made the first basket of the season from behind the arc, and from there, the Trojans never looked back. After a couple of runs in the second half, USC secured the win. After another exhibition matchup against Gonzaga on Oct. 26, the Trojans will officially begin the 2024-25 season against Chattanooga at the Galen Center on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m.

🎥 Hear from Saint Thomas after the Trojans’ win

🔼 Road Test. The Trojans will travel its furthest distance this season across the country to just outside of our nation's capital to challenge Maryland for the first time in USC football history. USC will kick off against Terrapins on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. following a close loss to Penn State at home last weekend. The season, the Trojan defense ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten (and No. 6 in the nation) in third down conversion percentage defense (0.271) while on offense, Miller Moss ranks ninth in the nation (and No. 3 in the Big Ten) in completions per game with 24.83.

🔍️ Scout the Terrapins ahead of USC’s first-ever matchup

🔼 Showed Up. The Trojan Family showed up and showed out for the Battle of LA on Sunday, marking the largest attendance for a USC women’s volleyball match in program history. The match against UCLA, which featured 7,303 fans, is also the highest amount of fans in all USC vs. UCLA matchups on either campus, solidifying Troy as the pLAce to be.

Today’s Top Tier Performance presented by ARCO goes to Ines Derrien. After helping to lead the No. 9 USC women's soccer team to a 2-0 week on the road in Illinois, including scoring the game-winner at Northwestern, Derrien was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. The freshman midfielder has appeared in all 14 matches this season, making three starts and recording an assist before her first goal.

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📅 THE WEEK AHEAD

*All times Pacific

Wednesday, October 16
🤽‍♂️ Men’s Water Polo vs. Pepperdine @ 5 p.m. in Los Angeles, CA | Watch

Thursday, October 17
🎾 Women’s Tennis @ ITA Southwest Regional Championships in San Diego, CA
🎾 Men’s Tennis @ ITA Southwest Regional Championships in Tempe, AZ
⚽️ Soccer vs. Ohio State @ 6 p.m. in Los Angeles, CA | Tickets | B1G+

Friday, October 18
🎾 Women’s Tennis @ ITA Southwest Regional Championships in San Diego, CA
🎾 Men’s Tennis @ ITA Southwest Regional Championships in Tempe, AZ
⛳️ Men’s Golf @ Golf Club of Georgia Intercollegiate in Alpharetta, GA
⛳️ Women’s Golf @ Stanford Intercollegiate in Stanford, CA
🏐 Volleyball vs. Maryland @ 4 p.m. in College Park, MD | B1G+

⚔️ Click here to view the full USC Trojan Athletics Calendar

⚔️ Have a great Wednesday, everyone!