Most overrated, underrated college football teams by Power 5 conference
By John Scimeca
Pac-12
Most Overrated: USC Trojans
No team is generating more buzz than Southern Cal is right now. There was the well-publicized move of new head coach Lincoln Riley hours after his previous team, Oklahoma, lost to Oklahoma State at the end of the regular season.
Then, a slew of high-profile transfers followed Riley out to Los Angeles, including former Sooners in quarterback Caleb Williams and wideout Mario Williams and former Pitt wideout Jordan Addison. This all-star cast is predicted to destroy the rest of the Pac-12 and vie for a CFP spot this year on its way to the greener pastures of the Big Ten. Even the oddsmakers have the Trojans with the fourth-best or fifth-best odds to win the national title.
Channel your inner Lee Corso here: “Not so fast, my friends!”
Yes, the defense is brand-new and has new talented players in from the transfer portal, but this is a unit from 2021 that surrendered more than 31 points per game (ranked No. 103 in the country) and 410 yards per game. The team finished 4-8 in Clay Helton’s final season in charge — and he was canned in September.
The offense will need time to jell, too. That’s the overall theme for USC this season: can a coach truly implement his “culture” and winning habits with a program after just eight months on the job, especially with a crew of mostly new faces from across the nation?
USC might look better than it should by playing in a weak Pac-12, but that league is Utah’s to lose this year.
Most Underrated: Washington
Washington had an equally mediocre 2021 to the Trojans, finishing the year with four consecutive losses to end with a 4-8 record. The Huskies managed to lose to an FCS opponent, Montana, in their season opener before later losing to lesser conference foes like Oregon State, Washington State, and Colorado.
It was the team’s first losing season since 2009, and former boss Jimmy Lake didn’t even last the duration of two seasons after being suspended late in 2021 for shoving a player during the Oregon game.
The expectations will be low for new head coach Kalen DeBoer, but there’s undeniable talent in Seattle. From 2015 to 2021, each recruiting class ranked at least among the nation’s top 30.
DeBoer brings a successful pedigree with him from Fresno State, which he guided to a 9-3 mark last year following a 4-8 mark in 2019, the season before he took over. The Huskies may not be back to winning a conference title this season, but they will be better than 2021.