– Last Updated on August 6, 2017 9:43 am
Looking for Pac 12 2017 Football Conference betting picks? Ever since the Pete Carroll days at USC, it’s been difficult to trust any hype that comes with the Trojans. We’ve seen them enter a new season with championship aspirations only to find disappointment well before the year comes to a close.
USC Trojans: Pac 12 2017 Handicapping
- Head Coach: Clay Helton
- 2016 USC Record: 10-3
- USC Odds To Win Big Ten: -110
- USC Odds to Win NCAA Championship: 8/1
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The 2017 edition of this story has a similar beginning. Pundits across the country have the Trojans as a top-five team—some as high as No. 2 behind only the Alabama Crimson Tide—and hopes are as high as ever. This time, however, we’re buying into the hype with confidence in a strong finish.
Here are five reasons why the hype is real in 2017.
Reasons USC Will Win The Pac-12
A Heisman Candidate QB
USC enters 2017 with the No. 1 Heisman candidate in the country in Sam Darnold.
According to many national media members, he’s going to be strongly considered the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL draft, and he’s currently +275 to win college football’s most prestigious individual trophy, per Bovada.
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Last season, Darnold finished second in the conference in Quarterback Rating, fourth in total passing yards, fourth in total touchdowns and second in completion percentage.
Expect the man behind center to improve upon many of those already-impressive placements this season.
Depth
USC has the advantage over most teams in the Pac-12 simply because of its talent at the top of its depth chart. That’s huge when it comes to competing at a high level.
But what makes the Trojans an even bigger threat is that it has all sorts of talent spread throughout a deep roster.
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Not to say that they’re immune to injury troubles; however, if they find themselves missing starters throughout the year, they won’t be nearly as strapped for productive players as other teams across the conference (and country) would be.
Balanced Talent
If you don’t think there’s a difference between depth and a balance of talent, you’re hugely mistaken.
While depth is important, it does you little good if all of your talent is at one position. Think about teams that only stock up on skill positions. Or have a strong defense but can’t move the ball.
It’s true that USC is going to lack experience on the offensive line this year after losing multiple starters, but it also has some of the nation’s most premier talent spread across multiple positions.
Think you’re going to shut down one player and get an easy win? Think again. It’s just not happening against the Trojans.
Leadership
This is a category that for a while was a weakness for this program. But as they hype has grown, it’s no coincidence so has the competency on the sidelines. This is a well-coached group, and that can make a huge difference when it matters most.
Motivation
For the third time since Pete Carroll’s departure, the Trojans have been selected on Pac-12 media day to win the conference. Up to this point, they have zero conference titles in that era.
At this point, players aren’t listening to the projections.
In fact, if we know them at all, they’re using failures of the past to pump some life back into a program that has failed to meet preseason expectations numerous times over the last five seasons.
Pac 12 2017 Football Conference Betting Prediction: 11-1
We’ve said it before, but this is finally the year that the Trojans meet expectations.
If the Trojans go 11-1 in the regular season, they will undoubtedly be in the Pac-12 championship.
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They’ll most likely face the Washington Huskies, and we have them winning a close game.
From there, it’s up to the committee to decide if they qualify for the College Football Championship. But if they do what we think they’re going to do up to that point, it’ll be impossible not to add them to the group of 4.
What do you think about our USC Trojans Pac 12 2017 Football Conference Betting Pick? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do in 2017!
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