USC Football Schedule 2012: Power Ranking the Trojans' Opponents

As spring football is starting to take place that means that college football is right around the corner. Well, not exactly, it's still six months away, but it will be here before you know it. That means that it's time to start preparing for the regular season and look over the schedule that each team has been given.

This time it's the Trojans who are one of the overwhelming favorites to win the BCS National Championship this season. They return a total of 16 starters and have one of the more explosive offenses in the country on paper. With an easy schedule on deck, there's no reason for why this team couldn't run the table and accomplish all of their expectations.

Here are the power rankings for all of the Trojans' opponents.

12. Colorado

USC has never lost to Colorado in the history of their program, and things shouldn't change this season. Was there anything that the Buffalo's did right last year? They couldn't score and the defense couldn't stop teams from scoring. This game will be ugly.

11. Syracuse

Syracuse lost a lot of leadership last year, but that may not be saying much for a team that went 5-7 in the horrible Big East. Traveling to New Jersey could have an effect on the Trojans early on, but there simply isn't enough talent for the Orange to pull off the upset.

10. Hawaii

This will be the Warriors' Super Bowl, but of course they'll likely end up losing. Hawaii is only returning a combined 10 starters and has lost every game against the Trojans by double-digits.

9. Arizona State

The Sun Devils underachieved last season and now only return eight starters. That includes trying to fill-in the quarterback position, having a new head coach and traveling on the road in this game. Not to mention, USC has won 11 of the last 12 meetings against Arizona State.

8. UCLA

Look, you can buy into the Jim Mora hype all you'd like because he recruited well, but the man has yet to coach a college game. Until I see results on the field, that 50-0 beat down last season will stay fresh in my brain.

7. Arizona

Head coach Rich Rodriguez will likely have Arizona contending for Pac-12 titles in a year or two, but it won't be this season. The Wildcats only return 11 starters from a team that won four games last year. Having to replace a quarterback like Nick Foles will take time.

6. California

Cal is a dangerous team and that's because they have the majority of their offensive weapons returning from last season. Players like quarterback Zach Maynard, wide receiver Keenan Allen, and running back Isi Sofele can put up points in a hurry. If the Golden Bears offense can get going, this game could get interesting.

5. Stanford

USC has lost four of the last five meetings against Stanford. This game may appear easy with Andrew Luck now out of the picture, but the Cardinal still have a very strong offensive line and a defensive front seven that generates a lot of pressure. Not sure who's going to score for Stanford, but this team isn't a pushover just because Luck is no longer on the team.

4. Utah

Utah only lost last year's meeting by nine points and will have a shot to actually win this season. This time the game will be played in Utah, and the Utes return a total of 18 starters, which is the most in the entire Pac-12 conference. The Utes may struggle to score points, but when your defense only allows 20 points per contest, you have a shot to win games.

3. Washington

If Washington played any type of defense they could possibly be ranked No.2 in these power rankings, but being ranked 108th in points allowed won't get it done. I will say that the crowd in CenturyLink Field will be going nuts and this could be a Heisman moment for quarterback Keith Price. Don't sleep on the Huskies.

2. Notre Dame

The Irish may have their fair share of problems and need to find an answer at quarterback, but they do return 15 starters from a year ago. If Notre Dame can limit the turnovers which have haunted them the last two seasons, this game could be a good one. Although, USC has won four of the last five home games against the team in South Bend. 

1. Oregon

There is simply no team on this schedule that has as great of a shot to knock off the Trojans than the Ducks do. They have more than enough weapons on the offensive side of the ball to keep up with the explosive USC attack and return eight starters on defense. This will be the Trojans' true test of the season and really the only scary competition of the year.

Randy Chambers is a B/R featured columnist that covers college football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail].