College Football Top 25 projections after 2018 spring practices

With the loss of Sam Darnold and Ronald Jones II to the NFL, USC once again has to retool its backfield quickly if it hopes to remain in Pac-12 contention. Beyond that duo, the rest of the offense is also going to be among the greenest in the country in 2018. Clay Helton‘s staff is going to have to get them up to speed quickly.

The quarterback situation is still undecided. Running back will likely be managed by committee. But the defense appears to be in great shape after the spring game. The secondary is going to be a point of strength against Pac-12 opponents. That could be the key point that allows USC to remain in contention to repeat as conference champions.

The offense is going to sputter, but the defense will keep the Trojans in games this year. UNLV offers a brief warm-up opportunity before a September stretch featuring Stanford, Texas, Washington State, and Arizona in succession. If the Trojans make it to October undefeated, they will vault up into the top five from their mid-teens starting point in the AP Top 25.