Way-too-early Top 25 projections for 2021 college football season
By Zach Bigalke
player. 808. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 5-1 in 2020 season. USC Trojans. Pac-12. 12
USC missed a golden opportunity to win the Pac-12 and make the College Football Playoff selection committee sweat out their final set of rankings. After losing to Oregon in the conference championship game, the Trojans eschewed the postseason and shuttered their team for 2020. The lack of a bowl game shouldn’t hurt Clay Helton’s team, as they open the year as the top-ranked team from the Pac-12 in the preseason AP Top 25.
Kedon Slovis is back at quarterback, and the Trojans hope he will shake out the cobwebs that appeared against the Ducks. Slovis loses top receivers Tyler Vaughns and Amon-Ra St. Brown, and will need to get more support from a running game that ranked 120th out of 127 FBS teams and averaged under 100 yards per game. USC’s defense should continue to improve after showing gains in 2020 under first-year coordinator Todd Orlando.
Back on the schedule in 2021 is USC’s annual rivalry game against Notre Dame. The Trojans will also play Mountain West champion San Jose State and a BYU team coming off an 11-1 season in non-conference play. In the Pac-12, USC’s toughest test is likely their road trip to Arizona State. The Trojans avoided both Washington and Oregon in the regular season and would only face one of those teams if they reach the Pac-12 championship game.