USC has a Heisman Trophy candidate again. Wait a minute, that’s not correct: USC has two Heisman Trophy candidates again.
It’s a new day at USC. The Trojans are nationally relevant. They have a shot at winning the Pac-12 championship and playing in the Rose Bowl or another New Year’s Six bowl game. This is true even though Clay Helton dragged the program down and left behind a hollowed-out roster which limped to a 4-8 record last season.
The instant makeover of the USC roster — with elite transfers coming into the program — gives the Trojans a chance to achieve a lot of high-end goals in Year 1.
The Trojans might fall short of those goals precisely because of the limitations Helton created before he got fired. However, if the Trojans reach at least some of those goals, they will very likely produce a Heisman Trophy finalist this December at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York.
The College Wire editors (24 site editors plus a few other college football editors on staff) present the preseason edition of the College Wire Heisman Poll. Voters will vote on the Heisman leaderboard after Week 1 and every subsequent game week this season. Here’s a look at the first poll, with the top candidate starting the list and the other candidates appearing afterward.
First-place votes are 5 points, second-place votes are 3 points, and third-place votes are 1 point.