Sweet September? USC's Ease of Schedule Early Could Prove Fatal Late

There's nothing better than opening your football season with a cupcake first month.

Especially if it's your first season as the head coach of one of the nation's most storied football programs, like it is for Lane Kiffin.

USC opens their 2010 conquest with an unbelievably easy Sept. schedule:

Sept. 2 : at Hawaii

Sept. 11 : Virginia

Sept. 18: at Minnesota

Sept. 25 : at Washington St.

I broke down USC's 2010 non-conference opponents (Notre Dame, Minnesota, Virginia, and Hawaii) in an article on May 10.

Out of these four games, Hawaii will be the team to give the Trojans the most fits.

Why?

Simply because they're the best team out of the four, and that's not saying much.

Last season, the Warriors went 6-7.

The last time USC and Hawaii met was in 2005, where USC served the Warriors a beatdown of mega proportions: 63-17.

Here's a look at USC's three remaining games in Sept:

Virginia: Won't be much of a contest either, considering the Trojans slapped them with a 52-7 loss in 2008's season opener.

Minnesota: 2010's matchup with the Golden Gophers will be the first since 1980, and if 1980's 24-7 Trojans victory is any indication of the future, USC should have no problem. Minnesota was virtually absent from the Big 10 in 2009, going 6-7.

Washington St: USC opens conference play with the bottom-dweller of the Pac-10, Washington St., at the end of Sept. QB Matt Barkley led the Trojans to a 27-6 win over the Cougars, passing for 247 yards on 13 attempts and scoring two TDs.

USC's laughable September schedule is bittersweet: It's sweet because the opponents should just fold up like lawn chairs when the Trojans storm the field, but bitter because Sept. houses USC's only somewhat of a bye, from Sept. 2 to Sept. 11.

The game against Hawaii is on a Thursday, and the Trojans won't suit up again until the Sept. 11 matchup at home against the Virginia Cavaliers.

After that short break, USC is on the grind, with no more byes in the months to follow.

Sept. serves as a make or break month for USC.

While the Trojans' opponents won't put up much of a fight, USC could become complacent with the four easy wins, and come apart as the season and the schedule wears on.

To read more of Jordan's work, click here.