USC Football: Ranking Trojans’ 2020 opponents by toughness

The new kings of the Pac-12, Oregon is a program on the rise and Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal will be having his eyes on the College Football Playoff in 2020 after narrowly missing out last season.

The Ducks will be trying to replace quarterback Justin Herbert, who was the sixth overall pick in this past year’s NFL draft. Oregon will have one of the best defenses in the entire country and if they can find a capable replacement for Herbert, the Ducks could be championship contenders.

USC and Oregon are two teams that don’t play annually and have split the last two meetings, which have both been blowouts. Oregon won 56-24 last season, in what was a major statement game for the Ducks. USC won 45-20 in 2016, when it was the Trojans looking to make a major statement.

This game could be a preview of the Pac-12 championship and be a statement game for both teams that have big aspirations in 2020.

The last time these two teams met in 2016, it was the worst defeat in USC history and one of the low points of the program when the Crimson Tide won handily 52-6. So it can’t be any worse this time around, right?

The Tide will be playing angry this season after missing out on the playoff last year and will be looking to make a major statement right out of the gate in this game. USC suffered the last time they played in part because it had the wrong quarterback on the field when Clay Helton opted to start Max Browne over Sam Darnold. That won’t be a concern for the Trojans this time around as Kedon Slovis is already one of the top quarterbacks in the country.

Fair or not, this game has the potential to define USC’s entire season. With a win, this would be a major statement for Helton and would be the biggest win in quite some time for this program and could give the program momentum for a big season. With another blowout loss, the same storyline about Helton’s job and the direction of the program that has plagued the Trojans for the past couple of seasons, will be at the forefront of the national discussion.

Nobody thinks the Trojans can win this game and it is up to Helton to ensure they are ready for the juggernaut that is the Alabama Crimson Tide.