So… will this be the year when the Trojans actually (and finally) make it back to national prominence, ending their football season as one of the “final four” to make it to the College Football Playoffs?
I say yes. In my opinion, it will be the “Season of Sam” (Sam Darnold - QB) and end with a PAC12 Championship, an Heisman Trophy for Darnold and an appearance in the playoffs.
Thank goodness football is back. Fight On!!!
Yes! We are ready. But USC is about more than Championships - check these out. First one is 4 minutes, second one is a minute, have to watch both!
Disclaimer - grab the tissue box.
2015-2016:
http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=13742216
Then this past weekend:
Jake, you do every Trojan proud. Congrats!
@CADREAMIN Indeed! For many years now, I have been wondering if it would ever happen for Jake. So glad it did.
Well done, Trojans! 
USC may not even win the Pac12, let alone get into the final four. Fortunately for them, they don’t play UW, unless it’s in the Pac12 championship. They struggled against Western Michigan. And Josh Rosen looked like the Heisman winner against Texas A&M and he lacks the talent around him that Sam Darnold has at USC. It’s a long season and too early to get excited about anyone for me.
Alabama lost two starting linebackers, so the news isn’t too good for them either. I’d also like to see OSU play against IU.
I’m not an alum, but go Cardinal! Fear The Tree!
@sushiritto You may be right. USC certainly has a very tough schedule ahead of them… with no bye week this season. And they clearly did not look as most expected that they would in week one. Of course, Western Michigan did go 13-1 last year, beating two Big Ten teams in the process and only lost to Wisconsin (in a close game) in their bowl game. So maybe an 18 point win against WMU isn’t as bad as it first seemed. But I concur… USC winning the Pac12 will be a challenge. It is a very deep and competitive conference. They can likely only stand to lose one game and would then have to beat a strong UW in the championship game. Of course, USC did bet UW last year.
Josh Rosen indeed looked very good for the final 20 mins vs Texas A&M, but it will take looking good for a full game versus stiffer competition. Most elite programs will not allow UCLA to come back from 34 points down. Time will tell, but I do not see UCLA as being on par with Stanford, USC or UW.
In terms of the Heisman race, I am confident that Sam Darnold will look better over time with more reps with his new wide-outs.
But… yes, the Stanford game on this Saturday will clearly reveal whether USC is a true contender or not. Here’s hoping…
Fight on!
Last season is well last season. Western Michigan wasn’t a preseason Top 25 football team in the AP or Coaches Poll. The top teams, like a #3, should be spanking unranked opponents. And UCLA isn’t on par with the top teams in Pac12, yet, but Josh Rosen looked really good and national games like that one on Sunday game will certainly help his chances for the Heisman. Rosen turned a bad game into a great exciting game and that’s what counts. There’s also the QB in Wyoming and several other good Heisman candidates. Cal won’t be a “push over” this year either.
Michigan and my friend’s alma mater Penn State look very good too. Clemson played Kent State and you really can’t tell too much from that game. I’m not that impressed by Alabama either. Defense looked awesome, but they also lost their two best LB’s.
I have no crystal ball, but historically speaking, they always suck the first game or two out and tend to get momentum rolling deeper in the schedule, which is prob true for many.
@CADREAMIN Hopefully so. But with Stanford this week, they need to get better after just one week…
Ya baby. Sam Darnold, wow. He makes everyone better.
Kinda thinking Sam should become Pittsburgh 's next QB. He has that sand lot genius that everyone there has gotten used to with Ben. It’d be seamless. USC will do great with him in the meantime!
Smartest and most instinctual QB to come along in a long time. Calm and fearless at the same time. Really special this one. Troajn football so much fun with him at the helm.
I think much was revealed during this game. Ba bye tree. Is that really a mascot? Come on.
Fight ON!
Stanford’s offense was unimaginative and one dimensional. USC didn’t respect the pass and Chryst isn’t a very good QB. But based upon the results of the 1st two weeks of the season, USC looks like they’ll go undefeated the rest of the way until the playoffs. They don’t play OR and UCLA and and ND might give them a slight challenge.
USC looked very good indeed. They were very well-balanced and managed over 600 yards of total offence… the most ever against a David Shaw coached team. Stanford is a good team (usually a 10+ win Top-25 team), so yesterday was a very significant test for the Trojans. The Football Power Index (FPI) should have USC favored in every remaining contest on their regular season schedule. Unless they suffer a self-inflicted wound of some kind, I also foresee USC being undefeated going into the Pac12 Championship. With Hurricane Irma taking aim at my house here in Tampa, it was certainly a welcome distraction to watch the Tree fall in the Coliseum last night. Well done, Trojans
We hope you are well in Tampa @WWWard!
@CADREAMIN Thanks. All is well. We experienced gusts into the 80s, but no damage to my house… & Tampa was generally spared by a path that took it further east than expected. 20-30 miles further west, and Hurricane Irma would have brought devastating storm surge to Tampa, St. Pete and Clearwater (and the entire Gulf coast). So it thankfully took the best path possible… one that weakened it quickly and forestalled the worst possible scenario.
Glad your world is ok, hang in there Florida and Texas!
Yikes! What is it about games in California involving the Trojans and Longhorns? It took two overtime periods, but we will take the hard fought victory!
Most frustrating game to watch, I was exhausted just watching it. I could not figure out when we were gonna actually start playing! Loved how the LA times described the game as woozy and staggering throughout - if the game was your friend you would have sent it home in cab. So true. Until of course the last few minutes of each half.
I’ll be going to the game at Cal this week. Most years I head over to Berkeley pretty sure that USC will win, but not this year. It’s hard to get a feel for both of these teams.
This week’s USC / Notre Dame game is a playoff eliminator. The loser is certainly done. USC could lose and still potentially win the Pac12, but that would be it. If the winner can run the table, a playoff spot is still highly likely. Here’s hoping that the Trojans & Sam Darnold take their “A” game to South Bend. Fight On!