2016-17 Football Previews – (Pac 12) – Trojans
Looking for 2016 USC Trojans predictions? The USC Trojans went with continuity in the offseason as they let Clay Helton stay on as head coach. Only time will tell if it was the right move or not but I am firmly in the camp that the world of college football is better when the Trojans are relevant, so I hope they got this right.
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USC Trojans
2015/16 Record: 8-6
Head Coach: Clay Helton
Odds to win PAC 12: +550
Odds to win National Championship: +3300
Win Total: 7.5
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2016 USC Trojans Handicapping
Whatever gets them their faster is the way to go. It is interesting that there was not a ton of real buzz amongst the hot candidates.
Coming into this season they will still have a major transition as they no longer have longtime starter Cody Kessler at QB. The rest of the offense is brimming with playmakers and potential pros so that side of the ball should be strong.
On defense they did make a change bringing back defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast. He has some stars to work with and how well USC does this season will likely be determined by how much they can improve on that side of the ball.
This is a good team with the potential to be really good.
USC looks like they will be in the conversation all season long…finally.
USC Trojans Predictions: Team Strengths
Clay Helton is an offensive minded coach and even though there is still some debate as to who the quarterback will be this season, there is no doubt they will have some serious weapons to work with.
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Most believe that Juju Smith-Schuster will be the best receiver in college football this season and he is the kind of athletic presence that will make it easy for his quarterback to succeed.
At running back Justin Davis and Ronald Jones are NFL calibre runners and as good a duo as there is in the nation.
Adoree Jackson primarily plays cornerback and is considered one of the top athletes in the country.
I am not saying he is going to win it but he is in that rare category or defensive players who just might get enough enough opportunity on offense and in the return game to get Heisman traction. Charles Woodson style.
USC Trojans Predictions: Team Weaknesses
For the Trojans to get back to being elite they need the defense to step up. Bringing back a former coordinator may be part of the solution but at the same time he will be working with a group that returns just four starters, three of them in the secondary.
When USC has been great they have developed fantastic defensive linemen, both interior and at end, and that group is the biggest question mark heading into 2016.
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Not their pedigrees as recruits but their ability to perform at a high level on the field.
The same goes for the quarterback position where it is assumed Max Browne will start. He has been in the program for a few seasons and is highly touted but has never been the guy. Starting the season the way they do will be a true baptism by fire.
USC Trojans 2016 Prediction: 10-2
If you look around you get a lot of different opinions about USC this season, everything from Top 10/PAC12 champ to another eight win campaign.
We will get a great idea what they are really made of in the opener when they take on the defending champs, Alabama, in their opener, in Texas – if they win it look out.
It is a tough schedule that also sees them with two challenging conference road games, @ Stanford and @ Utah before the end of the month.
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If the Trojans are back they could easily qualify for the playoffs even with a loss as their schedule is that good. More likely they suffer a couple of losses. Depending on where those losses occur will determine the season they have.
They could certainly run through their conference sched but have trouble with season bookend games against Bama and Notre Dame.
I want to see how the quarterback plays but overall I am bullish on USC. That win total looks like a nice bet.
2016 USC Trojans Football Schedule
- 9/3/16 8:00 PM ET @ALA
- 9/10/16 2:00 PM ET USU
- 9/17/16 8:00 PM ET @STAN
- 9/23/16 9:00 PM ET @UTAH
- 10/1/16 TBD ASU
- 10/8/16 TBD COLO
- 10/15/16 TBD @ARIZ
- 10/27/16 10:30 PM ET CAL
- 11/5/16 TBD ORE
- 11/12/16 TBD @WASH
- 11/19/16 TBD @UCLA
- 11/26/16 TBD ND
What do you think about our 2016 USC Trojans predictions? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do in 2016!
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