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5 Most Dangerous 2017 College Football Playoff Contenders

By Zach Bigalke

Nov 26, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) jumps into the end zone for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Michigan State Spartans at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O
Nov 26, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) jumps into the end zone for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Michigan State Spartans at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O /
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Nov 5, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold (14) is pressured by Oregon Ducks linebacker De'Quan McDowell (54) during a NCAA football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Sam Darnold (14) is pressured by Oregon Ducks linebacker De’Quan McDowell (54) during a NCAA football game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Since we’ve just talked about Penn State, let’s talk about their Rose Bowl opponents for a bit. The Trojans are likely going to garner plenty of attention heading into next season whether they win or lose in Pasadena. Like the Nittany Lions, USC has recovered from NCAA sanctions to return to its place among the top teams in college football. The Trojans fell just short of reaching the Pac-12 championship in Clay Helton’s first full year as head coach. They should be back in the mix to claim one of the 2017 College Football Playoff spots.

USC opened the year 1-3 with losses to Alabama, Stanford, and Utah. After the loss to the Cardinal, Helton made the switch from Max Browne to Sam Darnold at quarterback. While the redshirt freshman lost his first start against the Utes, he is now 8-1 as a starter after completing 68 percent of his passes for an average of nearly 300 yards per game. Offensive tackles Chad Wheeler and Zach Banner will be gone, but the rest of the line will benefit from experience gained in 2016.

The Trojans have featured a top-ten recruiting class each of the past three seasons, and could once again push into that territory next year. The Pac-12 South was deep this season, but Colorado is bound to lose a lot of talent from this year’s division champion roster. Utah could be USC’s biggest challenger, and now that Darnold has a full year of experience he should have no trouble with a schedule that won’t include Alabama in 2017.

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