The 2012 regular season wraps up again on the west coast as Notre Dame travels to the Coliseum to battle archrival USC. The Trojans have weathered the bowl ban and the start of their scholarship reductions incredibly well so far and have themselves in a position where they can shoot for the national championship this season. Time will tell if that's the case, but this USC team is loaded.
LAST YEAR
The Trojans finished the season 10-2 with only a thrashing at Arizona State and a triple overtime loss to Stanford blemishing their record. Their wins included victories over Pac-12 champ Oregon and a 50-0 stomping of archrival UCLA.
Against the Irish, the first night game at Notre Dame Stadium in 21 years turned out to be a nightmare for ND. USC really dominated play all night, yet, the Irish were set to score from the one-yard line to make it 17-17 before a fumble led to a long touchdown for USC thus all but sealing the win. USC went on to the 31-17 victory.
STRENGTHS
What isn't a strength for this team? Nearly every single position looks like a strength, but obviously you have to start with their senior quarterback Matt Barkley. Barkley enters his fourth year as the starter as a Heisman Trophy frontrunner. His absence two years ago was the biggest reason Notre Dame beat USC and his play last year was the biggest reason USC beat Notre Dame. He's the difference maker on this team and a sure-fire first round pick in next year's NFL draft.
The offense isn't all Barkley though. He'll have some fabulously talented receivers to throw the ball to. Wideouts Robert Woods and Marqise Lee both caught for over 1000 yards and combined or 26 touchdown receptions. Randall Telfer and Xavier Grimble are two young, talented tight ends that could be matchup nightmares. And, oh by the way, they added the best high school receiver in the country last year in Nelson Agholor. Barkley is good and these guys only make him look better.
WEAKNESSES
If there is any weakness to this team it's their defensive line. The Trojans must replace three starters along the line and one guy they were counting on, Devon Kennard, is likely out for the season with an injury. USC will have senior Wes Horton at one end and then rely on a freshman and two sophomores at the other end and on the inside. The young guys could turn out to be great by the end of the year, but another injury or two and this line could be a liabilty.
The only other area that might be a weakness this year will be depth. This should be more of a problem in 2013 and 2014, but the effects of their scholarship limits could be felt as early as this season if some injuries pop up. With only 75 scholarships available and a cap on the number of players they can sign each year, USC has to connect on the vast majority of their recruits. Now they have been getting 4 and 5 star players, but that doesn't always mean they will play like it. Plus, enough injuries, suspensions, flameouts, etc. will hurt any team especially one with the restrictions USC has.
OVERVIEW
Can the Trojans be the team to end the SEC's run of national champions? The SEC has won six straight titles and could be poised for #7 with teams like Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, and South Carolina around. But there are a few teams that can pose a threat to them and the best shot may be right here with USC. They certainly have the talent and the path looks easier than some SEC schools. It will be tough as always, but this is the team that can get it done.
OVERVIEW
No doubt, USC is going to be very good this year. The problem with the Trojans, dating back to the last couple seasons under Pete Carroll, is their inexplicable losses each year. The losses to Oregon State or Arizona State or to 42-point underdog Stanford that leave you scratching your head. USC has a few obstacles to hurdle with a trip to Stanford in week 3, and trip to Washington in October and their four game stretch in November that includes home dates against Oregon, Arizona State, and Notre Dame along with a trip to UCLA. They should come away with more wins than losses, if any, in those contests however. 10-2 or 11-1 seems nearly certain, but the possibility of 12-0 is not remote. A Pac-12 championship game berth looks almost assured with a BCS national championship game spot clearly attainable.
Against Notre Dame, both teams could be playing for their post season lives. The Trojans could be trying to stay in the BCS championship game picture while the Irish could be playing for their own BCS bowl game berth. ND is going to have to play their best game of the season to win and their corners are going to have to play like veterans for them to have a shot. Anything less than their absolute best and USC probably wins.
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