Fansided

College football rankings 2018: FanSided preseason Top 25

By Connor Muldowney

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Alabama Crimson Tide running back Damien Harris (34) runs with the football during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers on January 1, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 01: Alabama Crimson Tide running back Damien Harris (34) runs with the football during the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Clemson Tigers on January 1, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 01: The USC Trojans celebrate on the winners stage after the PAC-12 Championship game between the USC Trojans and the Stanford Cardinals on Friday, December 01, 2017 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. (Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 01: The USC Trojans celebrate on the winners stage after the PAC-12 Championship game between the USC Trojans and the Stanford Cardinals on Friday, December 01, 2017 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. (Photo by Douglas Stringer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The Pac-12 is up for grabs this season and USC is one of those teams that could seriously contend for the conference crown — it would be the Trojans’ second straight.

Clay Helton has some decisions to make, though. First, who will start at quarterback. All signs are pointing to true freshman JT Daniels taking over, and that wouldn’t be a major surprise given the fact that he was a highly-touted recruit in the 2018 class. He’d have some major shoes to fill with Sam Darnold gone. Matt Fink and Jack Sears will also be on the radar for the starting job.

Moreover, replacing Ronald Jones II won’t be a walk in the park. Stephen Carr and Aca’Cedric Ware should pick up those duties and the former will likely be the No. 1 guy.

While inexperience could plague the offense, the defense brings back some veterans. Seniors Marvell Tell and Iman Marshall will be patrolling the defensive backfield along with juniors Jack Jones and Ykili Ross. They’ll look to improve on the 82nd-ranked passing defense in the country.

Senior Cameron Smith will be the leader of the defense at middle linebacker and he’s joined by three guys with starting experience to add to the linebacking corps. Porter Gustin and Jordan Iosefa, depending on health, will start on the outside and John Houston joins Smith on the interior.

The Trojans don’t have a ton of household names, but that will soon change.