College Football #5 USC TROJANS College Football Rankings, Betting, + Other Info
TSB MIKE (Administrator) 3 months ago // 3 responses // TopSportsBets.com College football

The USC Trojans come in as my #5 team in the Country. Most people will find this as a surprise since everyone expects them to be Top 3 every year. Personally, i feel there are just too many question marks with this team to rank them any higher. They also have a brutal schedule, and i see them losing at least twice this year.

Much respect goes out to Pete Carroll with the job he has done at USC. He has restored the Glory to Southern California. This IS THE FRANCHISE in Los Angeles. He is a master recruiter, constantly getting the best talent in the country. He knows how to coach, and he knows how to be a friend. Players love playing for this guy, and that’s saying something.

With regards to this years team, they return 4 offensive starters. They start green QB Mark Sanchez. He has all the tools to be special, but i feel he’s in over his head this year. This team has the deepest set of running backs in the PAC 10, and they will lean heavily on the run this year. RB Joe McKnight is special, some say a clone of Reggie Bush. While i don’t think he’s quite that good, he is special. For the first time in forever, they don’t have a dominant WR. That, combined with their new QB, spells trouble to me. I see several defensive coordinators stacking 8 in the box all year long, daring Sanchez to beat them.

People forget how dominating this defense has been during their run to glory. They have been a physical, playmaking unit forever. People forget how good of a defensive playcaller Carroll is. This years unit does return 7 starters, including all world LB Rey Maualuga. This cat might be the hardest hitter in College Football. He is a top 15 pick waiting to happen. Any NFL team would love to have this guy, as he is comparable to his idol Junior Seau. This unit features a solid 4-3 defense, and they scheme it well. USC is wonderful at disguising blitzes, and at dropping back into coverage.

Overall, i have this team at #5 in the country. I think they will have another solid campaign, but QB issues and their brutal schedule will keep them from competing in the BCS Title game. I have them finishing at 10-2 this year, and finishing #5 in my college rankings.