Are the USC Trojans Overrated?

A new full-time starter at quarterback (66-of-110 passing for 642 yards, 7 TDs, and 4 INTs last year). 

Zero reliable playmakers at WR (last year’s best receiver, a tight end, is gone to the NFL). 

Only 11 returning starters (one returning starter on the offensive line). 

Ten players drafted to the NFL (seven in the first two rounds).

And you're telling me that's a national title contender? Seriously?

It seems as if we throw all of our rules for evaluating teams out of the window when it comes to USC. 

Now, in all fairness, USC has been one of the most dominant college football programs (based on winning percentage and bowl game wins) over the last six years.  But let’s take a closer look at USC’s ‘dominance’.

I would argue that since Norm Chow left USC in 2004, USC has become more of a regional power than a national power.  Sure, they’ve won the PAC-10 six years in a row, but is that really saying very much? 

The very definition of a strong league is the ability of multiple teams to win the title.  USC's dominance highlights the PAC-10's weakness.  Let’s face it; USC has been to the PAC‑10 what Ohio State has been to the Big Ten. 

Now let's look at those bowl game victories.  USC has won six of their last seven BCS games (impressive), but five of those games were Rose Bowls (in their backyard).  USC winning the Rose Bowl is no more impressive than LSU winning the Sugar Bowl. 

It’s great, but that’s not exactly a ‘neutral field’.  In addition, USC's Rose Bowl victories have come against the second-best team in the Big Ten two times because Ohio State went to the title game (2006, 2007).  If the PAC‑10 champ beats the second best team in the weakening Big Ten, in a virtual home game, should we be that surprised?

Now this is not USC’s fault, it’s the Rose Bowl’s fault, but USC beating Illinois isn’t as impressive as West Virginia beating Oklahoma (a conference champ), or Kansas defeating Virginia Tech (a conference champ).

Furthermore, two years in a row USC has found a way to play itself out of the title game by losing to a team they had no business losing to.

In 2006, they lost to Oregon State, seemingly ending their title hopes.  Then they got a second chance at the title game when other teams lost, and they blew it against UCLA. 

In 2007 it was Stanford, at home!  If USC won that game, they would have gone to New Orleans.  I don’t care if Booty played with one hand tied behind his back (USC fans blame his injured fingers for the loss), Stanford probably doesn’t have two players on their entire roster that even received scholarship offers from USC.

Also, Stanford won that game with their backup quarterback…ouch.

How did we get here, why does USC get the benefit of the doubt like no other team in college football?  I think it all started in 2003.

Carson Palmer, a Heisman winner, graduated and another Heisman winner stepped right in, Matt Leinert.  Since then, we’ve all assumed that whoever starts for the Trojans at QB (or RB, or WR) is a star.  Why?

For every other team in the nation, a new starter at QB means ‘wait until next year’ for the title talk. 

Florida returns 16 starters, including a Heisman winning QB (Tim Tebow), and they’re ranked below USC. 

Oklahoma returns 14 starters, and the most efficient QB in college football (Sam Bradford), and they’re ranked below USC.

Texas Tech returns 18 starters, including the most prolific QB/WR tandem in college football, and they’re ranked below USC.

When it comes to USC, and with every other school in the nation, we need a shorter memory.  Just because Leinert was successful in his first year, does that mean every Trojan QB will be a star?  Heavens no.

Leinert was blessed to have Norm Chow (one of the top offensive minds in all of football, on any level), and four to five future NFL players playing with him (Reggie Bush, LenDale White, etc.). 

Sanchez doesn’t have that, he’s got one potential star (McKnight), and several former five-star recruits the world is still waiting to see blossom.

USC is the only preseason Top 10 team breaking in a new quarterback AND a new offensive line.  For any other team this would be a warning sign, but when it’s USC we don’t even care. 

Thanks to a weak PAC-10, USC will probably pick up another conference title this year.  Thanks to a 9/13 showdown with Ohio State, USC will once again be a one or two loss team at the end of the season. 

They’ll peak towards the end of the year, everyone will excuse their loss to Ohio State, claiming they’re one of the best teams and that ‘we need a playoff.’

USC will go to the Rose Bowl, again, and beat the second best team in the Big Ten, again, and they’ll be well on their way to a No. 1 or No. 2 preseason ranking next year.  Look at the bright side, at least next year they’ll deserve it.