4. USC will have a big year and Clay Helton will get an extension
Call this the opposite of last year’s No. 4 on this list, when the prediction was for Urban Meyer to be the USC head coach starting about now.
It’s not just that the Trojans haven’t dominated the national college football landscape under Clay Helton, it’s that the guy who can make it happen is spending his Saturdays working just up the road.
Of course Meyer would rock up recruiting right away and make USC the player of players in the Pac-12, but that obviously didn’t happen this offseason.
Urban Meyer is Urban Meyer, and Helton is still at the helm despite his 13-12 record over the last two years. But these things sometimes have a funny way of shifting.
No, this won’t be an Ed Orgeron situation where Helton goes from No. 1 on everyone’s list of hot seat coaches to national champion with a few tweaks, but …
He’s got a fabulous team coming back.
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USC is only losing two real NFL prospects – OT Austin Jackson and WR Michael Pittman – at least 19 starters are potentially returning, and 12 of the top 13 tacklers were underclassmen last year.
The passing game that blew up at times over last season under OC Graham Harrell comes back loaded, the quarterback situation is terrific, and the “no one respects us” attitude is about kick in.
It also helps that the Pac-12 South is once again going to be a whole lot of whatever.
Starting out against Alabama won’t help the resurgence, and going to Oregon and Utah will be tough, but – sticking with the nutty call premise of this – USC will win enough to get to the Pac-12 Championship game for the second time in four years.