The USC Trojans have massive expectations under quarterback Sam Darnold in 2017, but how does their weekly schedule stack up?
The USC Trojans have the ability to make a run at their first National Championship since 2005 with superstar quarterback Sam Darnold leading the team. One of the bigger questions for the Trojans lies with head coach Clay Helton. Can Helton be the next Pete Carroll or will he be the next in line among failed USC football coaches?
This year is likely either National Championship or at least College Football Playoff berth or bust for USC. With another top-four ranking in the Amway Coaches Poll, they have sky-high expectations to finally succeed.
The sanctions from the Reggie Bush pay and Heisman scandal still had an effect on USC until very recently. However, the Trojans looked like their old selves during the stretch run of the 2016 campaign. Darnold went 9-1 in 10 games as the starting quarterback after taking over for Max Browne.
Darnold is not only receiving Heisman hype in 2017, he’s also the No. 1 overall pick in almost every mock draft for the 2018 NFL Draft. That’s a lot of pressure on one quarterback who does not even have a full season of starting experience. However, the tape definitely shows the potential to be the next great USC quarterback.
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USC’s 2017 slate is as tough as almost any team’s schedule in the country this season. They face tough out of conference tests against blue blood programs like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Texas Longhorns. They also have the usual in-conference battles against the Stanford Cardinal, Washington State Cougars, Utah Utes, Colorado Buffaloes, and UCLA Bruins.
Now, let’s take a look at the game-by-game predictions for the USC Trojans in 2017.
The Western Michigan Broncos will not be as good in 2017 as they were in 2016. However, if USC does not come out of the gates in a positive fashion then Western Michigan could give them a scare. Just because P.J. Fleck left for the Minnesota head coaching position, it does not mean that the Broncos will not be good in 2017, just not New Year’s Six Bowl good.
USC running back Ronald Jones II starts the season off great with 85 yards and one rushing touchdown in the first half of the game. Sam Darnold tacks on two more passing touchdowns in the first half to wide receiver Deontay Burnett and tight end Tyler Petite.
Western Michigan responds in the second half with two touchdown passes through the air to bring the Broncos within 10 points. The game would be much more interesting if Tom Flacco, brother of Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco, was still starting under center.
Yet, USC pulls away at the end of the third quarter as Darnold throws for his third touchdown and rushes for his first. Western Michigan notches one more field goal, but that’s all they can manage.
Final Score: USC 38, Western Michigan 17 (1-0)
USC and Stanford have gone back and forth over the last four seasons with two wins going to each team. The Cardinal have won two straight, though, but not in convincing fashion. And Stanford promises to be a tough test once again in 2017.
After USC notched a convincing win for themselves in Week 1 against Western Michigan, USC has considerable momentum and also a top-four ranking heading into the Stanford game. Sam Darnold kicked off his Heisman campaign in style with four total touchdowns and zero turnovers. However, Darnold will not be so lucky in the second game of the year.
Darnold throws an interception on the first drive of the game to senior Stanford cornerback Alijah Holder. Stanford running back Bryce Love rushes for his second touchdown of the season and gives the Cardinal an early 7-0 lead.
Ronald Jones II matches Love’s early score with a 12-yard rushing touchdown. Wide receivers Steven Mitchell Jr. and Michael Pittman Jr. both get in the end zone to give USC a 21-10 lead heading into the half.
Stanford quarterback Keller Chryst has an up and down game but finally gets his first passing touchdown of the game in the third quarter to get the Cardinal within four points of USC. However, that’s as close as Stanford would get as the Trojans get a field goal from redshirt freshman kicker Michael Brown to seal the victory.
Final Score: USC 24, Stanford 17 (2-0, 1-0 Pac-12)
The third straight home game for USC is also the matchup with the biggest spotlight on the Trojans. Two blue blood college football programs meet up at The Coliseum for a huge Week 3 showdown.
The Texas Longhorns carry a top-15 ranking and an undefeated record after dominating the San Jose State Spartans and the Maryland Terrapins in their first two games. Longhorn quarterback Shane Buechele finally has the opportunity to establish himself in his sophomore year on the national stage.
Buechele has seven passing touchdowns entering Week 3, one-third the amount he had in 2016. Yet, Sam Darnold shows that Buechele still has a ways to go before the two are on the same level. Darnold throws two first quarter touchdowns, after somewhat of an off week against Stanford.
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The Horns match one of Darnold’s first quarter touchdowns with a 48-yard touchdown pass from Buechele to sophomore wide receiver Collin Johnson. Running back Chris Warren III rushes for another touchdown to pull Texas within a three-point margin of the Trojans.
A quick third quarter touchdown from sophomore running back Kyle Porter puts Texas ahead for the first time in the game, 24-21. USC fans are given a real scare until fullback Reuben Peters scores on a three-yard rush in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
Final Score: USC 28, Texas 24 (3-0, 1-0 Pac-12)
Cal enters this matchup with USC with only one victory, over Weber State from the FCS, and two losses against the North Carolina Tar Heels and Ole Miss Rebels. The loss of quarterback Davis Webb hurt the Cal offense more than was expected.
Ronald Jones II had one of his biggest games of the 2016 season against Cal where he rushed for more than 200 yards and one touchdown. He continues that momentum with 45 yards and a rushing touchdown in the first quarter.
Sam Darnold, after two games with four passing touchdowns combined, notched two first half touchdowns. Running back Aca’Cedric Ware gets himself some carries as well and rushes for 25 yards and one touchdown. This is the most dominant performance from the Trojans yet. They carry a 31-7 lead into halftime.
Junior cornerback Iman Marshall picks off Cal quarterback Chase Forrest to start off the second half and returns it for a touchdown. Darnold tacks on two more passing touchdowns, both to Steven Mitchell Jr.
With four passing touchdowns for Darnold, and 155 rushing yards for Jones II, the Trojans get their first really impressive win of the season, and continue their undefeated streak.
Final Score: USC 52, Cal 10 (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12)
USC takes on the Washington State Cougars for the first time since 2014, when the Trojans won by the score of 44-17 in Luke Falk’s first year as a starting quarterback. Falk returns for his last season with Wazzu to try and unseat USC as the favorite in the Pac-12.
The Trojans carry a top-three ranking into this game with another tough opponent from the Pac-12 North. Wazzu also carries a top-25 ranking into this matchup with key victories over teams like the Boise State Broncos and Oregon State Beavers.
Sam Darnold faces his best adversary of the season as Falk is also one of the best quarterbacks in the conference. Still the Heisman favorite at this point, Darnold has thrown for 12 touchdowns and only has two interceptions through four games.
Ronald Jones II has a tough time finding running room against the Cougars. Aca’Cedric Ware has a better game with 80 rushing yards and one touchdown. Yet, Darnold has better luck than both running backs altogether. Darnold throws for three touchdowns in the first half, and more than 250 yards.
Tight end Tyler Petite has the best game of his career with more 112 receiving yards and two touchdowns against a suspect Wazzu secondary.
Iman Marshall and Marvin Tell each pick off Falk once but he still throws for three touchdowns and rushes for one. Darnold throws two more touchdowns in the second half for five total in the game. USC continues their hot streak.
Final Score: USC 42, Washington State 31 (5-0, 3-0 Pac-12)
The easiest opponent of the season, so far, for the Trojans comes to The Coliseum with only one win. Oregon State got throttled by Jake Browning and the Washington Huskies one week earlier and they are not in a good place.
Since former Oregon State quarterback Marcus McMaryion transferred, the Beavers are left without a good option to replace the struggling Jake Luton. USC takes advantage of that with two early turnovers, one fumble forced by sophomore linebacker Cameron Smith and one interception from junior cornerback Isaiah Langley.
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Sam Darnold comes into the game with 17 touchdown passes and still only two interceptions. He does slip up once in the first half with his third interception of the season. Yet, Darnold also throws for 220 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
Deontay Burnett has a breakout game with 125 receiving yards and three touchdowns against Oregon State. Darnold and Ronald Jones II combine for four touchdowns in the second half to completely break the game open.
Backup quarterback Jalen Greene gets some work in during the fourth quarter after USC carried a 48-3 lead after the first three quarters. Greene notches one passing touchdown to seal USC’s largest margin of victory so far.
Final Score: USC 55, Oregon State 3 (6-0, 4-0 Pac-12)
The Utah Utes are the only team that Sam Darnold has lost to in his career. Last year, Utah defeated USC 31-27. Darnold was held to only 253 passing yards and one total touchdown in that game.
Utah quarterback Troy Williams is one of the most underrated in the Pac-12 and is determined to show that on a national stage against a team like USC. Williams proves his worth in the first quarter with two total touchdowns.
Yet, without running back Joe Williams, the Trojans start to catch onto the Utes’ offensive scheme and start to slow down Troy Williams in the second half. The game is close through the first three quarters with Darnold and Ronald Jones II only notching one touchdown each.
USC carries a 17-14 lead into the fourth quarter, making Trojan fans everywhere nervous. However, Darnold adds one more passing touchdown in the fourth quarter to give USC a 10 point lead.
Williams matches Darnold’s touchdown pass with one of his own. Darnold has the opportunity to seal the game for USC but throws an interception to junior Utah cornerback Tyrone Smith.
The Utes even the game in the final seconds of the fourth quarter and pull off the upset in overtime after freshman USC kicker Michael Brown collapses under the pressure.
Final Score: Utah 27, USC 24 (6-1, 4-1 Pac-12)
One of the biggest rivalry games of the year for USC is finally here. The annual USC-Notre Dame game is the perfect chance for the Trojans to take out their frustrations of losing to the Utah Utes in overtime. For the time being, USC is out of the Playoff picture and needs to climb back into the Pac-12 title race.
After a two passing touchdown and one interception performance, Sam Darnold is starting to take some heat. His Heisman campaign took a huge hit and Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett is now the odds on favorite to take home the award.
Darnold comes out fast with three first half total touchdowns. With Ronald Jones II and junior rusher Dominic Davis each also tacking on a touchdown on the ground, USC takes a commanding 35-10 lead into halftime.
Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush has the Irish back on track after a rough 2016 season. Yet, Wimbush only manages two total touchdowns and turns the ball over twice. Notre Dame puts up only 17 points after a huge effort from the USC defense behind two turnovers from Iman Marshall and Cameron Smith.
Darnold puts up one more passing touchdown in the second half, getting himself back into the thick of the Heisman race with four total touchdowns against Notre Dame. One more field goal completes the huge victory for the Trojans in this rivalry game.
Final Score: USC 45, Notre Dame 17 (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12)
USC is now trending the right direction once again after their Week 7 loss against Utah. The Arizona State Sun Devils, under head coach Todd Graham, are struggling for the second straight season to find their way.
Sam Darnold is about to surpass the 25 passing touchdown mark and looks to get past that milestone in this Week 9 matchup. He faces Alabama transfer Blake Barnett, who has actually had a good season with Arizona State.
However, USC looks to win their second straight game in commanding fashion, after a 28-point whooping of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. And USC needs a victory over a Pac-12 South opponent. Colorado is currently tied atop the Pac-12 South standings with the Trojans.
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Ronald Jones II has another huge game with 125 rushing yards and two touchdowns against a porous front seven for Arizona State. Darnold tacks on another 330 passing yards and three touchdowns, with only one interception.
Deontay Burnett continues his hot streak with 110 receiving yards and one touchdown. Darnold also gets over the 25 passing touchdown mark, proving himself even more to the Heisman voters. A rushing touchdown from Aca’Cedric Ware and two field goals from Michael Brown seals an easy victory for the Trojans.
Final Score: USC 49, Arizona State 21 (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12)
The Arizona Wildcats are having a little bit more success than their in-state rival Arizona State. However, both Arizona schools are no match for the USC Trojans and a Sam Darnold on a huge hot streak. Darnold now has the chance to eclipse 30 passing touchdowns and get past his 2016 mark of 31.
One of Darnold’s best performances in 2016 came against Arizona. And if he has shown anything, Darnold plays the same way against most opponents in 2017 than he did in 2016.
Ronald Jones II, Aca’Cedric Ware, and Dominic Davis all struggle to find running room against the Arizona defense. However, that just opens up the secondary for Darnold to shred the Wildcats. He throws for more than 400 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions.
Darnold’s quick decision-making does cost him on two occasions but the USC defense does not let up. USC’s second half lead by the score of 44-13 means some more playing time for Jalen Greene who throws for two more touchdowns.
With another huge victory for USC, they look like the hottest team in the nation. Three convincing victories against Notre Dame, Arizona State, and Arizona after their loss to Utah has them back in the Playoff picture and right in the thick of the Pac-12 Championship hunt.
Final Score: USC 58, Arizona 16 (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12)
Upset-minded Colorado is looking to win their second consecutive Pac-12 South Title. The only team in their way is USC, a team that narrowly defeat the Buffs by a four-point margin in 2016.
Colorado quarterback Steven Montez is having himself a breakout season and is one of the dark horse Heisman picks to win the award in 2018 already. However, Sam Darnold is still the favorite to win the award in 2017 and he’s ready to show why.
Darnold has already eclipsed his touchdown total from 2016 and has only thrown seven interceptions, compared to nine from last year. He starts of this matchup with Colorado with two first quarterback touchdowns, one to redshirt freshman receiver Tyler Vaughns and one to Deontay Burnett, who now has more than 10 touchdown catches on the year.
Ronald Jones II gets over the 1,000 yard mark as well with 150 rushing yards and two touchdowns. However, Montez has also notched three total touchdown to keep Colorado within reach.
Buffs running back Phillip Lindsay is a hard man to stop and gets through the USC front seven for 125 yards and one rushing touchdown.
USC kicker Michael Brown has the opportunity to make up for his missed field goal in Week 7 against Utah that ultimately cost USC the game. Brown knocks this one through and USC escapes Boulder with a three-point victory.
Final Score: USC 31, Colorado 28 (10-1, 7-1 Pac-12)
The final game of the regular season is here, and USC gets to continue their winning streak against their in-state rival UCLA. It’s also the first time that Sam Darnold gets to face UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen, who finally stayed healthy through one full season.
Rosen led the Bruins to seven wins so far and legitimately has a chance to beat USC. However, Darnold is motivated to show that he is the best quarterback not only in the state of California, but in the entire country. With 36 passing touchdowns and eight interceptions, Darnold is the odds on favorite to win the Heisman.
And Ronald Jones II now has 1,085 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns and has a chance to win some hardware as well. Jones II finally proved that he is among the best running backs in college football.
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Rosen and Darnold trade off two first half passing touchdowns. Michael Pittman Jr. and Steven Mitchell Jr. each haul in one touchdown catch. Yet, Marvin Tell gets a huge interception return for a touchdown before halftime that vies USC a 21-17 lead.
Jones II hauls in a touchdown catch from Darnold to give USC a 28-17 lead. Yet, Darnold tosses one interception that gives UCLA a chance to get back into the game in the fourth quarter. UCLA only comes up with a field goal, though.
A fourth quarter field goal from Michael Brown ends up sealing the game for the Trojans and their victorious in the final game of the regular season and lock up a trip to the Pac-12 Championship Game.
Final Score: USC 31, UCLA 20 (11-1, 8-1 PAC-12)
Under first-year head coach and former South Florida head man Willie Taggart, the Oregon Ducks are officially back. Quarterback Justin Herbert and running back Royce Freeman are one of the best QB-RB duos in the country. The Ducks have a 10-2 (7-1 Pac-12) record that probably puts them just outside the Playoff picture, even if they defeat USC.
The Trojans are the only hope for the Pac-12 to send a representative to the Playoff. However, USC needs to focus on winning their first Pac-12 Championship in nearly a decade before they can think about a Playoff berth.
Sam Darnold also needs a strong performance to solidify himself as the Heisman Trophy favorite. He does just that with three total first half touchdowns compared to just one for Herbert. Ronald Jones II has the quite the battle in front of him as well against Freeman, one of the best running backs in the country.
USC carries a 24-13 lead into halftime. Darnold fumbles the ball early in the second half to give Oregon a real chance to get right back into the game. Herbert throws his second touchdown of the game to bring the Ducks within four points.
However, Jones II rushes for his first touchdown of the game and Michael Brown tacks on a field goal to give USC a 14 point lead. Freeman responds with a late rushing touchdown, but it’s too little too late for the Ducks. USC finally wins a Pac-12 Championship and locks up a spot in the Playoff.
Final Score: USC 34, Oregon 27 (12-1, 9-1 Pac-12)
USC has their first shot at winning a National Championship since they lost to Vince Young and the Texas Longhorns in the Rose Bowl in 2006. Head coach Clay Helton and the Trojans have a tall task against a team in Florida State that defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide to start the season.
Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois just missed out on the Heisman Trophy as Sam Darnold is the first USC player to win the award since Reggie Bush. Francois has a ton of motivation to show the college football world why he is the best QB in the country.
The Trojans have a fast start to the game with a seven yard rush for a touchdown from Aca’Cedric Ware, an unlikely candidate to score on the first drive of the game. Ronald Jones II follows that with a huge 60 yard run that puts USC in position to take a 10 point lead after a Michael Brown field goal.
Francois and the Noles respond with a touchdown of their own to narrow the USC lead to three points. Freshman sensation running back Cam Akers puts Florida State ahead on the last drive of the first half with a 14-10 lead.
Brown notches two more field goals in the third quarter as Darnold struggles to convert in the red zone. However, Darnold finally get his first passing touchdown of the game at the end of the third quarter to give USC a 23-14 lead.
Florida State puts up one more touchdown in the fourth quarter. Both teams are held off the scoreboard during the rest of the game. USC advances to the National Championship.
Final Score: USC 23, Florida State 21 (13-1, 9-1 Pac-12)
It all comes down to this. USC takes on the Ohio State Buckeyes and legendary head coach Urban Meyer in the final game of the season. Sam Darnold has the chance to cap off a Heisman winning campaign with a National Championship.
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Much like Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois, Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett just missed out on winning the Heisman Trophy. This is also the final game of Barrett’s storied career with Meyer and the Buckeyes. He has the chance to win his first title as a starting quarterback with Ohio State after leading the Buckeyes to two other Playoff appearances.
Ohio State stars off the first quarter with two rushing touchdowns, one for Barrett and one for running back Mike Weber. Ronald Jones II responds with a rushing touchdown of his own, the 16th of the season for him.
The biggest problem for USC entering the second half is a devastating injury to star receiver Deontay Burnett. Ohio State’s cornerbacks have a much easier time defending USC’s receiving corps in the second half. However, tight end Tyler Petite does haul in a third quarter touchdown form Darnold.
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Barrett throws two touchdowns in the second half to give Ohio State 31 points to only 17 for USC. Darnold gets the Trojans within seven points with a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. Yet, another rushing touchdown for Ohio State from Weber puts the game out of reach for USC.
Final Score: Ohio State 38, USC 24 (13-2)