College Football Playoff: Which Top 25 teams are contenders, pretenders?
Unlike many of the teams currently sitting in the top-five of the AP Top 25, USC hasn’t rolled through its first four games of the season.
Even though USC does remain undefeated, the team’s games have been a bit too close for comfort, especially in the Trojan’s Week 3 overtime victory against an incredibly unproven Texas squad.
While Sam Darnold is still firmly in the running for the 2017 Heisman Trophy, and an eventual spot atop the 2018 NFL Draft, he hasn’t performed at nearly the level he exhibited in 2016.
After starting last season as a backup behind current Pitt quarterback Max Browne, Darnold replaced him halfway through the season and found near immediate success as the Trojans’ signal-caller.
But Darnold found this success as an unknown commodity.
With hours and hours of game film now at opposing defensive coordinator’s disposal, Darnold hasn’t found nearly as much success this season without leading receiver Juju Smith-Schuster.
After fielding a top-20 offense in 2016, USC’s offense has fallen to 22nd in 2017, but its defense has fared even worse.
Southern California’s defense is currently ranked 60th in the nation, and has given up 99 points over the first four games of the season, outscoring opponents by a combined score of 148-99.
While these numbers aren’t terrible, they aren’t indicative of a team that can compete with the likes of Alabama, Clemson and Oklahoma.
If USC wants to make its first appearance in the College Football Playoff, it will need to improve its defense and survive games against 16th-ranked Washington State, 20th-ranked Utah and 22nd-Notre Dame to end the season, a task that’s easier said than done.