USC season preview: Best and worst-case scenario

The USC Trojans will have a new quarterback under center as they chase a Pac-12 crown again in 2018.

The 2017 USC Trojans saw the final run of the Sam Darnold era in Los Angeles. The Trojans finished with an 11-3 record and another Pac-12 Championship to their credit as they defeated the Stanford Cardinal.

However, like the rest of the conference, they had a bowl season that they would like to forget. They lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes, 24-7 in the Cotton Bowl. After winning the Rose Bowl the season prior, it was a quiet exit for one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in program history.

With Darnold now a member of the New York Jets, the USC Trojans will look to the future at quarterback. Freshman J.T. Daniels is one of the most highly touted quarterback recruits in the history of the program.

However, he hasn’t won the job just yet and the Trojans could turn to either Matt Fink or Jack Sears until the freshman is ready to take over. Still, the Trojans could decide to roll out the future now if Daniels is dominant in practice leading up to the season.

Behind Darnold, was running back Ronald Jones II. He has also departed the program for the NFL and now it will be the duo of Stephen Carr Aca’Cedric Ware’s time to shine. The sophomore Carr has big potential for the Trojans while Ware is a senior that brings experience to the position.

As for the defensive side of the ball, the majority of that unit will be back for the Trojans. It really comes down to the talent in place taking that next step and becoming better. Porter Gustin and Cameron Smith continue to anchor a dynamic linebacker unit.

The best-case scenario for the Trojans is that Daniels comes in red-hot as advertised and they’re able to take command of the Pac-12 South as early as possible. They aren’t quite built to go undefeated, but if everything falls in place, they could be as good as only suffering one or two losses going into a conference championship battle.

That Week 2 battle against Stanford early is going to be tough for a new quarterback, but picking up a signature win at Texas and starting off the Pac-12 schedule hot could have the Trojans on a roll. It certainly helps that Washington and Oregon aren’t on the schedule this season.

Best-Case Scenario

• Sept. 1 vs. UNLV – W
• Sept. 8 at Stanford – L
• Sept. 15 at Texas – W
• Sept. 21 vs. Washington State – W
• Sept. 29 at Arizona – W
• Oct. 13 vs. Colorado – W
• Oct. 20 at Utah – W
• Oct. 27 vs. Arizona State – W
• Nov. 3 at Oregon State – W
• Nov. 10 vs. California – W
• Nov. 17 at UCLA – W
• Nov. 24 vs. Notre Dame – W

The worst-case scenario for the Trojans is that this is a program in transition and Daniels needs time to adjust to being the man in Los Angeles.

Two straight road games at Stanford and Texas could be their undoing early and head into the Pac-12 schedule with a losing record could make them get off to a slower start then they would like.

Worst-Case Scenario

• Sept. 1 – vs. UNLV – W
• Sept. 8 at Stanford – L
• Sept. 15 at Texas – L
• Sept. 21 vs. Washington State – W
• Sept. 29 at Arizona – W
• Oct. 13 vs. Colorado – W
• Oct. 20 at Utah – L
• Oct. 27 vs. Arizona State – W
• Nov. 3 at Oregon State – W
• Nov. 10 vs. California – W
• Nov. 17 at UCLA – W
• Nov. 24 vs. Notre Dame – L

If the best case scenario is a 10 or 11-win team and the worst is an eight-win team, then it wouldn’t be surprising to see this program somewhere between those two. At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to quarterback play and the Trojans have a bright future with Daniels.

He has the receivers around him to succeed and the defense should be better this year, which is a plus. If they can survive two tough road tests early on, then they should have a promising season in front of them.