Huard: USC should be preseason favorites in 2012
Jan 10, 2012, 10:47 AM
Editor’s note: Brock Huard writes a weekly column for ESPN.com during the college football season. Here is an excerpt from his 14th column, which lists five reasons why USC should be ranked No. 1 heading into next season.
The SEC won its sixth consecutive BCS national championship Monday night as the Alabama Crimson Tide defeated their divisional and conference rival, the LSU Tigers.
Both teams will surely be in the top five of next preseason’s polls, and based on the young and upcoming talent in Tuscaloosa and Baton Rouge, both will be contending for years to come. For that reason, it’s only natural to assume that in 2012 the rest of the college football world will continue to play catch-up with the best conference in America — the SEC.
However, the sport will be forced to look West next season, not just at those Oregon Ducks and their “Battlestar Galactica” uniforms, but at the USC Trojans. The Men of Troy may have been the hottest team to end the 2011 season, and they will be the most difficult matchup for any opponent in 2012.
USC coach Lane Kiffin wants no part in this conversation. He won’t be politicking for preseason votes, and he absolutely enjoyed having his team play the underdog role in 2011. But the 2012 season will be a different story; on Dec. 22, when Matt Barkley decided to bring his talents back to L.A., the Trojans became a serious national title contender.
Here are five reasons why USC should be ranked No. 1 — yes, even over Alabama and LSU — in the preseason polls come August.
The entire column is available to those with an Insider account, and can be read here.
