Fans can remain optimistic despite USC’s struggles


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USC football players huddle together at the Coliseum.
The Trojans enter the second half of the season with a 3-4 record and are in danger of having their second negative win percentage in the last three seasons. USC’s matchup against UCLA Nov. 20 will be an opportunity for the Trojans to make a final statement. (Vincent Leo | Daily Trojan)

This season has been lackluster for USC, to say the least. After ending last season with a disappointing loss in the Pac-12 championship against Oregon at home, fans looked for the team to rebound with a more experienced squad. 

Even on a national level, experts thought the Trojans were a dark horse to make a run into the College Football Playoff and named junior quarterback Kedon Slovis as a potential Heisman finalist at the start of the season, according to popular oddsmakers like SportsLine. 

However, right now the team holds wins for three of its seven games, with a 2-3 record in Pac-12 play. The Trojans got as high as No. 14 in the country before losses began to pile up. 

Many of these games should have been competitive matchups, and even in USC’s favor, but they ended up as disappointing blowouts. With high-caliber players like junior wide receiver Drake London and top recruit freshman defensive lineman Korey Foreman, the program is not currently playing at its expected level. 

Still, not all hope is lost for USC. There are some potential positives to take away if the team can find its rhythm again in these upcoming games. Here are the top five things fans can look forward to in the remainder of the season.

5. Winning against a Pac-12 school in front of fans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 

The only game the Trojans won at home was the season opener against San Jose State. Since then, USC suffered three straight defeats at home against Stanford, Oregon State and Utah. 

In each of these games, the Trojan defense allowed 40+ points, which made it hard for the offense to keep up. If USC can analyze what went wrong in these games and implement the necessary changes in Saturday’s game against Arizona, the Trojans can finally win a home game after almost a near two-month drought. 

The Wildcats have not won a game this season with an 0-7 record, so USC has all the momentum.

4. Reaching, playing in and winning a Bowl Game

It’s been almost two years since USC has played in a bowl game, and even in that Holiday Bowl game in December 2019 the Trojans got blown out by a score of 49-24 by a strong Iowa squad. 

If the Trojans can rack up three more wins to become bowl-eligible, it would be a chance for fans to see the team get some type of honor after this tumultuous season. It won’t be the easiest task though: USC would have to win three of its last five games to gain bowl eligibility. 

3. The head coach search

One of the main talking points in the head coaching carousel is “Who is going to take the USC job?” Just this week, former Trojans quarterback Carson Palmer said Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin was a potential name to look out for. Although these claims were quickly struck down by Tomlin himself, there are still other famous college coaches like Penn State’s James Franklin that are in the mix, and it shows that this head coaching position is getting a lot of attention by coaches who have succeeded at the highest level. Regardless, fans can still anticipate which new hire can lead the team back to its glory.

2. Drake London 

Junior wide receiver Drake London has been the main standout of the season and is one of the best players at his position at the college level. He currently has 79 catches, 5 touchdowns and 1,003 yards only seven games into the season. 

London is vying for a potential first-round selection in the NFL Draft. So fans can look forward to watching him play for the remainder of the season, but they can also look forward to future games he’ll likely play as an NFL player.

1. UCLA game

No matter how the season is going, USC fans will almost always enjoy the opportunity to beat their rivals. After last season’s thriller against UCLA, where USC won 43-38 at the Rose Bowl with a touchdown in the final minute of the game, it is unlikely that this year’s edition will be any less exciting. 

UCLA, with its somewhat successful season at 5-3, will try to win the division and reach the Pac-12 championship. Adding another loss to UCLA’s record and foiling its conference championship aspirations will be great for the Trojans to continue to keep its dominance in Los Angeles collegiate sports.