USC Football: The Ins and Outs, Highs and Lows of the 2012 Schedule

Spring ball is all over for the USC Trojans, which means they'll take a few months off before prepping up for the regular season. This gives us time to begin breaking down everything to prepare you for another fantastic season of college football.

The Trojans return 16 starters from a year ago, including nine on the offensive side of the ball. They also have a joke of a schedule, which creates the huge possibility of them running the table and becoming BCS National Champions. But before we can crown them the best team in college football, they still have to play the games and avoid a few upsets.

As we inch closer to the college football regular season, here is your 2012 USC Trojans complete schedule breakdown.

Easiest Game

The Trojans have one of the most talented teams in the country and one of the easiest schedules. This makes picking an easy game, well, easy.

You could go with several different teams to choose from, but I'll go with the Colorado Buffaloes. Right now they're a team that looks lost, as they finished with only three wins last season and ranked in the 100s in both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Trojans have never lost to Colorado and beat them by 25 points last year. 

This matchup shouldn't be much different.

Toughest Game

If there's truly one team that has a realistic chance of preventing the Trojans from going undefeated and possibly ending their national championship hopes, it's the Oregon Ducks. They are one of the few teams in the country that will be able to keep up with them offensively, which is really what you're going to need to pull off the victory.

The Ducks have explosive players all over their roster and that has to worry USC a little bit. In last year's meeting, Oregon only lost by three points and had 12 more yards than the Trojans did. This is a very dangerous team, one that's capable of accomplishing everything USC plans to do this season.

Potential Blowout

Hawaii was a fun team to watch over the years because of their high-scoring offense, but the loss of quarterback Bryant Moniz is going to hurt. Even with Moniz, their defense was ranked 80th in the country last season and was a big reason they lost four of their last five games.

Hawaii has never won a game against the Trojans and have lost all five games by double-digits, including three by 20 or more points. With this being the first game of the season, it may take the Trojans some time to get going, but expect them to win this game by at least three touchdowns.

Potential for Disaster

Just because Stanford lost quarterback Andrew Luck, it does not mean that this is a team that should be taken lightly. They're still a talented squad that returns eight starters on defense and has a 1,000 yard rusher in running back Stepfan Taylor. They also have a loaded recruiting class coming in that should help balance out some of their weaknesses.

This will be the first test for the Trojans and won't be an easy matchup with the game being played in Stanford Stadium.

Most Intriguing Matchup

When looking at the USC schedule, is there truly another matchup that you're more excited about than this one? The answer is no.

This game will have BCS implications, should feature tons of scoring and will possibly come down to the wire as the last team to score will likely win the game. The Trojans have home run hitters, as so do the Ducks, which should make for one of the most exciting matchups in all of college football this season.

There's really nothing else to say, November 3rd is the date every college football fan must have circled on their calendar.

Trap Game

The game against the Utah Utes will be the first of back-to-back road games for the Trojans. Last season, USC played Utah at home and only won the game nine points. This season Utah returns 16 starters, including nine on offense and seven on a defensive unit that was ranked 19th in the country last year.

Utah should get quarterback Jordan Wynn back from injury, which should make their offense much more efficient this time around. This is a team that could shatter some dreams in the Pac-12 and upset USC if they're not careful, especially with the game being played in Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Rivalry Game Prediction

Notre Dame returns 15 starters and has enough talent on their roster to make this game very interesting. The problem I have with them is the fact they haven't been able to fulfill expectations for so long. Are they going to play to their potential or will be they be the team the turns the ball over five times?

USC is the more complete team and seems to be on a mission. I do think the Irish could keep it close if they can avoid turnovers, but I'm not so sure Notre Dame has enough offense to actually pull off a victory.

USC wins: 35-21

Upset Special

Washington obviously has to improve their defense that was ranked 108th in the country last season, but they do return eight starters from that unit. They also return quarterback Keith Price, who showed his potential to take over a football game.

Washington wasn't competitive at all last season against the Trojans, but with them returning eight starters on both sides of the ball, one would have to believe they'll be a better overall team. We saw what Robert Griffin was able to do with a lousy defensive team in Baylor. Could Price do the same thing with this Washington team and pull off an upset over USC?

Time will tell, but I wouldn't put it past him.

Heisman Highlight Game

Quarterback Matt Barkley is one of the overwhelming favorites to win the Heisman trophy, but he needs that Heisman performance against a great team to solidify his chances. That game of course will be against the Oregon Ducks. It's by far the biggest game on the schedule for both teams and will take a fantastic performance from the senior quarterback to get the job done.

Heisman trophies are won by great players that shine on the biggest stages. It doesn't get much bigger than the game against Oregon. Games against Syracuse, UCLA and California won't get the job done, a strong performance and victory against the Ducks should all but seal the eighth Heisman trophy winner from USC.

Must Win Game

By now you should know what the must-win game for the Trojans this season is. The goal for USC this year is to run the table and they have the talent and the soft schedule to make it possible. The only team that really stands in their way is the Oregon Ducks. Win the game on November 3rd and there's a great chance this team will be playing for the national championship this season.

It doesn't become more of a must-win than that.