USC Football: Clay Helton facing make-or-break 2019 season
By Daniel Smyth
How will the Trojans fare in 2019?
- Week 1: Fresno State (Aug. 31)
- Week 2: Stanford (Sep. 7)
- Week 3: at BYU (Sep. 14)
- Week 4: Utah (Sep. 21)
- Week 5: at Washington (Sep. 28)
- Week 6: BYE
- Week 7: at Notre Dame (Oct. 12)
- Week 8: Arizona (Oct. 19)
- Week 9: at Colorado (Oct. 25)
- Week 10: Oregon (Nov. 2)
- Week 11: at Arizona State (Nov. 9)
- Week 12: at Cal (Nov. 16)
- Week 13: UCLA (Nov. 23)
- Week 14: BYE
Prediction: 8-4, 5-4 Pac-12
USC will be an improved team this season. With stability at the quarterback position and plenty of returning starters on both sides of the ball the Trojans should see an increase in the win column.
However, it seems very likely that the Trojans could stumble out of the gate. Games against Stanford, Utah and Washington could leave the program at a 2-3 record before the first Bye Week.
A game against Notre Dame after the bye week could determine Clay Helton’s fate as the head coach.
Overall I expect the Trojans to struggle early, but go on a large winning streak after the Notre Dame game. Games against Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Arizona State, Cal and UCLA are all winnable.
The Trojans could win the Pac-12 South with a strong push, but Utah will be tough to knock-off. An early season win against Utah could make the race for the division interesting. Finishing second in the division is the likely result for the 2019 season.
Despite a strong finish to the season, and a return to a bowl game, the Trojans will most likely end up parting ways with Clay Helton in hopes of securing a big-time head coach.
dark. Next. Top 30 skill position players for 2019
JT Daniels will become a top quarterback prospect for the 2021 NFL Draft and will attract a big-time coach back to Southern California for the 2020 season.