Top 10 college football teams desperately needing great spring practice
By Logan Shaw
Dec 27, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; USC Trojans fullback Jahleel Pinner (38) holds up the Holiday Bowl trophy after the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the 2014 Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. The Trojans beat the Cornhuskers 45-42. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
The USC Trojans
College football is more fun when USC is good. I said it. What’s crazy is, USC hasn’t won the Pac-12 since 2008, before there was such thing as a Pac-12. USC won the Pac-12 south in 2011, but due to NCAA sanctions, USC couldn’t take part in the championship. UCLA gladly took their place.
What I’m saying is, USC hasn’t been nationally relevant since 2011, or even before that. They were the preseason number one in 2012, but they went on to win only seven games that season.
NCAA sanctions can get ugly. Those on the outside think it’s no big deal, but ask Southern Methodist fans how their football team is doing, today. USC’s sanctions weren’t as harmful, but not going to a bowl game for a few years and losing scholarships really hurt Southern Cal. They’re still trying to regain National dominance since the sanctions came down in 2010.
When Lane Kiffin was finally fired from USC, Steve Sarkisian was hired from Pac-12 foe, Washington. Sarkisian was no stranger to USC, as he had served on staff at USC at many positions prior to accepting the head coaching job at Washington.
In Sarkisian’s first season as the Trojans head coach, the Trojans went 9-4, with their first bowl victory since the 2009 Emerald Bowl. Sarkisian recently pulled in the number one recruiting class in the nation, per rivals.com.
So, saying all this, what does USC have to prove this spring? Everything.
USC is close. The Pac-12 is only getting tougher, and they have to play harder. USC lost three of their four games last season by an average of three points. That has to change.
USC has talent, and they’re only getting better. The Trojans need a strong spring, maybe more than any Pac-12 team, so they can once again return to national dominance.
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