USC has Sam Darnold, Ronald Jones, quite a bit of its front seven and three-fourths of its secondary returning this season. So I bet you would be surprised to learcn that analyst Phil Steele has the Trojans as one of the least-experienced teams in the nation, Let’s go to the rankings:
| Rank | Team | PTS | SR ST | SR 2D | JR ST | JR 2D | SO ST | SO 2D | FR ST | FR 2D |
| 126 | Duke | 52.0 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 6 |
| 127 | Illinois | 46.0 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 7 |
| 127 | Michigan St | 46.0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| 129 | USC | 44.0 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 11 |
| 130 | Michigan | 40.0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 11 |
No one would be surprised if Michigan and USC made the College Football Playoff despite these rankings. And now for the top five teams:
- Air Force
- Navy
- Southern Miss
- East Carolina
- Akron
Anyways, check out Steele’s full rankings here
scooter, the list is fine and dandy, but most of the players starting had played last season in the games. So they are used to the speed, tempo, and quick thinking that you have to have playing in college.
That top 5 is a real murderers row!
Eggs-ackley!
Funny —but the ONE thing that does bother me a little bit, GT, is the fact Washington State and Texas are listed SO far ahead of us in terms of experience—and we play them BOTH in September.
The Cougs game is the key to the season.
Away game, against experienced, well coached team, off of a short week —I’d say that surely makes it our most likely ‘problem’ game’, gt—–but it won’t keep us from the playoffs if we win the rest.
Texas concerns me, especially right after a physical game with Stanford.
It concerns me too. A lot. Only good thing about it is I don’t think Steven Mitchell or Kenny Bigelow—two great, but injury prone players—will be out THAT early in the season. I doubt they’ll make it to the Washington State game
“Learcn” something new every day!
Well, like it or not, this just shows we are still recovering from the over-burdensome sanctions.
Do the top five teams have fewer seniors leaving for the NFL? At least 2 of the teams are 4 year commitments no matter what.
I just can’t see how this is relevant in college football. But it sells clicks. Goes to show, Wolf will post anything.
I bought Phil Steele’s preview magazine once a few years ago. It would’ve been great if I needed to know how we did against the spread in non-conference road games in the early 90s.
Well when a full 3rd annually of your starting 22 opt for the NFL it does create a bit of a turnover ‘because’ the kids know the added bonus of being selected for the USC roster.
We ARE inexperienced at receiver (Velous Jones, Joseph Lewis, Michael Pittman, etc), nose tackle (Marlon Tuipulotu) and one of the corner spots (Jack Jones). But all the players mentioned are among the most highly recruited in the nation —-and their ‘quantifiables’ (size, speed, high school performance) suggest that the only thing any of them requires to help make USC into a playoff team is COACHING. It’s up to Clay Helton and Company to make Phil Steele’s “Least Experienced Team List” meaningless in terms of our 2017 won/loss record.
USC has plenty of experienced players to win it all this season, regardless of Steele’s numbers. Talent and coaching win. Darnold had no experience before last year and he saved Trojan football from underperforming.
This year will all come down to how USC’s OL comes together. If that unit becomes powerful and gives Darnold a more explosive and consistent running game, watch out!
In other news, Keyshawn Johnson jr. Was busted for marijuana and drug paraphernalia in his dorm room. He is supposedly taking 6 month off to mature according to his father Keyshawn Johnson Senior. Good news for you Southern Cal dummies!!!!
Marijuana smoking druggie offspring of a former player with a checkered past is a Taior Made player for criminal University also known as Southern Cal!
#keepsmokingON
I’m shocked Army isn’t in the top 5…. not many “hardships” on that squad.
Do you have a Bucket trapped inside you?