Pac-12 Preview: Is UCLA The Favorite In The South Division?
By Jason Gold
Apr 19, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California head coach Steve Sarkisian during the Southern California Spring Game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Reason Why They Will Win: USC is coming into this season as….a sleeper? When was the last time USC was a sleeper? There is no doubt that Steve Sarkisian is going to rebuild USC into a perennial top-10 team again, but can he do it this quickly? While USC’s sanctions are behind them, there is still a lack of depth throughout the squad. However, USC’s schedule is favorable and there are no shortage of playmakers on offense or in their back-7 on defense. If USC can beat Stanford in week 2 in Palo Alto, look out! Even if they don’t beat Stanford, the Trojans midseason schedule is very favorable and then should hit their stride by the time they face UCLA and Notre Dame in the last two weeks of the season. USC has a very real shot of making the Rose Bowl, or at the very least winning the South Division.
Reason Why They Won’t Win: If the Trojans get destroyed by Stanford in week 2, it’s going to be incredibly demoralizing and could leave doubts about whether or not this team can compete at the highest level this season under Sarkisian. There are also holes along both offensive and defensive lines that could leave the Trojans susceptible to huge offensive performances by their opponents on the ground, while leaving their QB Cody Kessler to fend for himself. The Trojans pendulum is pretty wide this season, mostly because we don’t really know what to expect from them.
Best Case Record: 11-1
Worst Case Record: 8-4