It’s never too early to start talking college football and I chose the Trojans to look at first because, well, it was the first Spring Prospectus to land on my desk and it’s probably as good a place to start as any because they’re easily one of three or four teams that will be considered as National Championship front runners come September.
Now time to state the obvious: USC will be very good in 2007.
Pete Carroll has this team poised to make another serious run at the program’s 6th consecutive Pac-10 title and BCS bowl, if not its third national championship. The only thing standing in their way — THEIR SCHEDULE.
On the surface, USC has one of the tougher schedules in all of college football, especially their games on the road. USC is at Nebraska, at Notre Dame, at Oregon and at Cal and that doesn’t include their games on the road against an improving Washington team and Arizona State who return quarterback Rudy Carpenter and will be, no doubt, tougher under new coach Dennis Erickson. The key to victory and a second BCS title will be how the Trojans play on the road.
Though they lost Dwayne Jarrett, arguably the nation’s 2nd best receiver last year behind Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson and Steve Smith, a quality and steady possession receiver, USC will have no problem re-loading.
The Trojans are returning a total of 18 starters (7 on offense, 10 on defense and a punter) from a team that was one brain fart against UCLA away from playing for and (judging by the way The Ohio State University came out against Florida) winning its third National Championship in the Pete Carroll era.
On offense, the Trojans will have little difficulty scoring points. They return quarterback, and probable Heisman finalist, John David Booty and the three-headed backfield monster of C.J. Gable, Chauncey Washington and Emmanuel Moody (not to mention Jimmy Clausen’s Oaks Christian teammate Marcus Tyler). Playing behind a line that includes two-time All-American tackle Sam Baker, Booty will have lots of time to find tight end Fred Davis and the 6’5″ junior Patrick Turner, who will have no problem filling the shoes left by Jarrett, who bolted to the NFL after his junior campaign.
The Trojans are returning 10 starters on a defense that gave up only 91.1 yards per game on the ground. Expect USC to be equally tough defending the run this year, as they return the best linebacking corps in the country with Brian Cushing, Keith River, Ray Maualuga and remain solid on the D-line with DT Sedrick Ellis and DE Lawrence Jackson both returning. Where the Trojans will need the most help is in the defensive secondary, they’ll need Terrell Thomas and Cary Harris to develop into shut-down corners and will need Taylor Mays to be the safety that earned him 1st team freshman All-American and Pac-10 co-freshman of the year honors in ’06.
2007 Bottom Line prediction: 10-2
I thought they only had one BCS title. The other was the AP national title.
Pete Carroll has 1.5 National Titles
made the change. say what you want about that LSU/USC national championship.. Pete Carroll is one helluva college football coach. if he has a brain in his head, he’ll realize that he’s got the best possible situation for him at Southern Cal and won’t start peeking towards the NFL again but I’m not sure there’s been a better college football coach than Carroll in the past 10 years. In the past 5 years, USC has won 91% of its games. Pretty impressive, even for a guy with “1.5 national championships.”
Carroll should run away with the pac 10 every year, and it is not because of his superior coaching abilities. JMO GBO
Patrick, who do you see them losing too?
This is good shit.
Patrick
If you hadYou mentioned Patrick Turner, half of the state of Tennesseewouldhavewill slit their wrists, or hit themselves in the face with a bar stoolI see them losing at Nebraska and at Cal. I think Nebraska will be improved and with Sam Keller at the helm of the offense could bring Nebraska back into Big 12 contention and Cal, I’m a little hesistant on endorsing the Golden Bears again after last year but I think with Longshore, DeSean Jackson and Justin Forsett returning.. the Bears might finally get the Trojans. The truth is that I feel like with that schedule, there’s at least two losses in there somewhere but I doubt it’ll be a shocking loss like last year’s UCLA hangup.
Who are the two losses to?
Patrick, is that the same Sam Keller that threw 5 interceptions against USC the last time he played them?
Hopefully, for Nebraska’s sake, they don’t decide to just run the football on every single play like last year. If they’re smart they’ll throw down field a bit more.
The Nebraska team isn’t quite as worrisome to me, but rather playing in Lincoln must be crazy. On the other hand, I think the last time USC lost an OOC away game was at Kansas State in 2002. Let’s ask the SEC fans: which do you guys see as a more intimidating environment, playing at Auburn and Arkansas or playing at Nebraska?
My predictions for a possible USC loss this year: Washington or Oregon.