By Dan Greenspan Daily Trojan
Los Angeles, CA (CSTV U-WIRE) -- Can you name seven teams better that the Trojans? Apparently Dennis Dodd of www.sportsline.com can, because he has USC sitting at No. 8 in a newly revised preseason top 25. It's still early after all -- the Trojans will play only their second day of spring ball this afternoon -- but based on track record alone, Pete Carroll deserves the benefit of the doubt.
After all, he has handled constant roster turnover over the last four seasons. In that time, he has lost a total of four games and finished no lower than No. 4 in the Associated Press and USA Today polls. There are still numerous questions to be addressed (John David Booty or Mark Sanchez? Dwayne Jarrett or Ben Malcolmson?), but USC remains a top five team. The best receiving quartet in America -- Jarrett, Steve Smith, Patrick Turner and Fred Davis -- plays in the Coliseum. A tremendously deep linebacking corps will be the backbone of a vastly improved defense. Lawrence Jackson and Sedrick Ellis will be household names and All-Americans 13 games from now. If they get effective play in the secondary early on, an offensive line that keeps the quarterback's jersey clean and can find a backfield that doesn't field just fullbacks, the 2006 installment of Trojan football could again be playing for a national title. But before planning to get buck wild on Mill Avenue just yet, here are six other teams capable of joining the party in the desert.
Ohio State -- The Buckeyes are more than just lucky; they have the best offense this side of Jan. 4, 2006. Quarterback Troy Smith and wideout Ted Ginn Jr. open the year as legitimate Heisman Trophy contenders and will be bolstered by the arrival of Chris Wells. Wells, the consensus No. 1 tailback recruit in the country, offers Ohio State the best combination of power and speed in the run game since Maurice Clarett.
Pass two early season tests at Texas and Iowa, and Jim Tressel will return to the site of his greatest postseason triumphs.
Notre Dame -- Are you sick of Brady Quinn yet? You will be as the Irish expect big things from year two under coach Charlie Weis. With Quinn, receiver Jeff Samardzija and running back Darius Walker all back, the offense should be prolific. The defense? Don't ask. Get ready for shootouts every week. As USC learned last season, you can't outscore all of the people all of the time.
West Virginia -- The Mountaineers surprised everybody in 2005, including Georgia in Atlanta during the Sugar Bowl. Now the spotlight will shine brightly on Morgantown, especially on the tandem of speedsters Pat White and Steve Slaton. The main concern is developing enough of a passing attack to keep defenses honest. White completed only 65 of 114 attempts, and had more rushing yards than passing yards on six occasions. Also, can Louisville claim revenge after an embarrassing collapse that led to WVU's 46-44 triple-overtime stunner?
Oklahoma -- Adrian Peterson. Healthy. 2,000 yards. 'Nuff said.
Texas -- The Longhorns bring back plenty of talent, but their main concern will be maintaining the swagger Vince Young gave them. Texas was fearless on its way to winning the national title, whether it was down in the Horseshoe, at Oklahoma State or with five minutes left in the Rose Bowl. If the vibe isn't there, they could easily lose to Ohio State and the rival Sooners. Coach Mack Brown doesn't want to test his newfound appreciation so soon, does he?
California -- The Golden Bears are the most unlikely team on this list, but have a number of ingredients to make them national championship caliber. Defensive coordinator Bob Gregory is perhaps the most unappreciated assistant coach in Division I. Tailbacks Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett are now the best one-two punch in the sport. A win in the season opener at Tennessee has enough cachet to legitimize Cal.
The ever-productive offense of Jeff Tedford will be getting an injection of spread offense with the arrival of former Northwestern coach Mike Dunbar. And just when it seemed USC had ridded itself of the sturdy Golden Bears with a 35-10 whipping, Nov. 18, 2006, appears that it will again decide the Pacific-10 Conference championship.
The next week, the Trojans and Irish will renew their intersectional affair. Those two might be better than USC on those specific Saturdays.
But seven teams better? Please.
1 comment:
Oh, I love the arrogance of USC. No mention of the fact that they lost their best QB in 30 years and the best 1-2 punch of running backs in a similar time frame. And I won't even start on their loses in the non-marque positions. Cal, if they can sort out their quarteback situation and put together a workable offensive line, will rip USC to shreds particularly after USC loses to Notre Dame, Oregon and possibly ASU to end the disolution that they are unbeatable in any game besides the BCS championship game. Heck, even the fact that they lost to Texas will have an impact on their confidence.
Considering how much talent they lost, #8 is being generous.
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