Matt Barkley, USC Runaway Favorites to Win Pac 12 South Division, Could Compete for National Title
The Trojans are a whopping 1-6 favorite to win the South and that’s based on two things: the fact that they are a BCS National Championship title contender and that the other five teams in their division might have a tough time qualifying for bowl season. Yes, that’s how wide the talent gap is in the South.
USC has the best odds at 1-6, with Arizona and Utah tied for second-best (10-1), followed by UCLA (15-1), Arizona State (18-1) and Colorado bringing up the rear (30-1).
Not only are the Trojans led by Heisman Trophy contending quarterback Matt Barkley, but the team around him is loaded with talent that should be occupying NFL rosters in the coming years. NFL teams are already drooling over Barkley and the receiving corps is tantalizing as well with Robert Woods, Marquis Lee and Randall Telfer making up what is arguably the best unit in the nation.
The only question marks on this team are the running game and a pass defense that ranked 102nd in the nation last season. The running back recruiting has been good so there should be talent to work with, and as for the defense, it’s hard to envision Monte Kiffin‘s unit being so leaky two years in a row.
What?s scary is that this team went 10-2 with less experience, a lack of a running game and defensive deficiencies, so what will happen if any of those aspects improve?
More importantly -? at least in the race for the Pac 12 South -? is the fact that USC is really just competing against themselves. Three of the other five teams enter the year with new head coaches, while another team is in year two.
The Arizona Wildcats are welcoming Rich Rodriguez to the sidelines and they’re retooling. The same can be said for the UCLA Bruins, who are entering their first year with Jim Mora Jr. running the show and the Arizona State Sun Devils, who have hired Todd Graham. Meanwhile, the Colorado Buffalos move into their second season with Jon Embree.
That leaves the Utah Utes as the lone team with any coaching consistency, and they finished 2011 strong but still won just eight of 13 games last season. They were the only team not named USC to finish above .500 in the Pac 12 South, as the other four teams averaged 4.75 wins.
Something out of the ordinary -? such as injuries or a severe lack of motivation -? is going to have to happen for the Trojans not to win the Pac 12 South. While the first option is a wild card, don’t expect this team to be short on inspiration. After being banned from bowl season for the last two years, look for them to be fired up and focused to take care of business.
While the seeds have been planted in Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA and Colorado to potentially be competition for the Trojans in years to come, the reality is that right now, the Trojans should have a very easy path to winning their division in the Pac 12.
Photo via Facebook/Matt Barkley
