USC Trojans Preview: 2015-16 NCAA College Football Season

USC enters next season with high expectations yet again. The Trojans finished 9-4 last year and were in a three-way tie for second place (with Arizona State and UCLA) in the Pac-12 South standings. The Trojans are definitely aiming for a better outcome this time around, as they return 14 starters that include their quarterback Cody Kessler, who’s an obvious candidate for the Heisman Trophy.

Will USC overcome the pressure and return to prominence? Or will they to fail to capitalize on this opportunity? Read on further for a preview of USC’s keys to victory, their best and worst case scenarios and their complete 2015-16 schedule.

For more about college football, check out our verdicts for the Winners and Losers of the college football offseason, as well as the early Heisman Trophy candidates.
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2015-2016 USC College Football Preview

Overview

[sc:NCAA240banner ]Offense is not going to be a problem for USC, as the Trojans return quarterback Cody Kessler and all five starters on his offensive line. Kessler will lead an offense that scored 35.8 points per game, among the best in the country. Kessler, though, will have to familiarize himself further with his new go-to receiver, former freshman All-American JuJu Smith. He’ll also have agile slot receiver Steven Mitchell, who’ll definitely play a major role in determining USC’s success.

But if there’s anything that could prevent USC from winning it all this coming season, it’ll be their defense, which lost a pair of its main anchors in Leonard Williams and Hayes Pullard. Second-year coach Steve Sarkisian has got to find a way to fill in this huge void and prevent yet another disappointing conclusion to their season.

Key Player – Cody Kessler

There are already a number of candidates expected to with the Heisman Trophy. Among those names, you will see Cody Kessler, who is a +1,000 favorite for this year’s award. He had comparable numbers to last year’s Heisman winner—Marcus Mariota— as he completed 69.7 percent of his passes, threw for 3,826 yards with 39 touchdowns and had just five interceptions.

Kessler still has a lot of room for improvement, which further emphasizes that the sky is indeed the limit for a player of his talent. It’s safe to say he’ll be even better come this year.

Furthermore, with the Trojans’ defensive line looking a bit shaky, Kessler might need to be even more effective in dictating their offense. It’s easier said than done but not impossible, especially for a player like him that’s surrounded with an offense regarded as one of the best in the nation.

Key Game – @ Oregon (Nov. 21)

USC (+200) and Oregon (+250) are the top favorites to win the Pac-12 title this year. But before a possible meeting in the conference championship game, they’ll face off in the penultimate game of the regular season in Eugene. However, the Trojans might also have to win their final game with UCLA (Nov. 28) to ensure the Pac-12 South title – and a place in the title game.

Best/Worst Case Scenario for the Season

Best Case Scenario

Star quarterback Cody Kessler lives up to the hype as he leads a talented USC offense to great heights. And despite the departure of Leonard Williams and Hayes Pullard, Steve Sarkisian makes the right adjustments and and fills in the gaps in the Trojan defensive line to help USC reclaim the Pac-12 and reach the CFP.

Worst Case Scenario

Kessler puts up nice numbers, but he can’t quite lift the Trojans over the hump. He isn’t helped by a defense that doesn’t recover from the departures of Williams and Pullard, and continues to struggle in the end game. Another promising season ends in disappointment for the Trojans as they suffer a three-loss season.

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Complete Schedule

DATE | OPPONENT | TIME
Saturday, Sept 5 | vs Arkansas State | 11:00 PM ET
Saturday, Sept 12 | vs Idaho | 8:00 PM ET
Saturday, Sept 19 | vs Stanford | 8:00 PM ET
Saturday, Sept 26 | @ Arizona State | TBD
Thursday, Oct 8 | vs Washington | 9:00 PM ET
Saturday, Oct 17 | @ Notre Dame | 7:30 PM ET
Saturday, Oct 24 | vs Utah | TBD
Saturday, Oct 31 | @ Cal | TBD
Saturday, Nov 7 | vs Arizona | TBD
Friday, Nov 13 | @ Colorado | 9:00 PM ET
Saturday, Nov 21 | @ Oregon | TBD
Saturday, Nov 28 | vs UCLA | TBD

Writer’s Prediction

USC lives up to the expectations by winning the Pac-12 South division and earn a spot in the CFP.
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