Since the departure of head coach Pete Carroll in 2009, the USC Trojans have not been serious national championship contenders. Carroll led USC to two national championships and seven consecutive top-four or better final national rankings from 2002 through 2008. The Men of Troy were the most talented team in College Football Betting. Indeed, the Men of Troy were the toast of Los Angeles. But Carroll left Dodge one step ahead of the NCAA posse. The Reggie Bush benefits were all about nothing by today’s standards. But today, it would not be an infraction.
College Football Team Preview 2023 USC Trojans
| Odds to Win National Championship: | +1600 |
|---|---|
| Odds to win PAC-12 Championship: | +200 |
| Over/Under Win Total: | 9.5 |
2023 USC Trojans Schedule
- Aug 26 San Jose State
- Sept 2 Nevada
- Sept 9 Stanford
- Sept 16 OPEN DATE
- Sept 23 at Arizona State
- Sept 30 at Colorado
- Oct 7 Arizona
- Oct 14 at Notre Dame
- Oct 21 Utah
- Oct 28 at Cal
- Nov 4 Washington
- Nov 11 at Oregon
- Nov 18 UCLA
- Nov 25 OPEN DATE
2023 USC Trojans Preview
Following Carroll, there have been only two top-ten seasons. Clay Helton led USC to records of 10-3 and 11-3 but could not sustain online betting success. Much of the problem for Helton was the lack of institutional support. Despite his two good years, recruits could sense that the USC administration and donors were not fully backing the coach. Finally, the Trojans jettisoned Helton in 2021 after two games, which they wanted to do, and should have done all along.
Next came the real College Football Betting shocker when USC hired Helton’s replacement. The hiring was not a home run. Instead, it was a grand slam home run. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley was given an offer he couldn’t refuse. Riley stunned the college football world by accepting it. Riley left one of the nation’s most storied blue blood and traditional power programs at Oklahoma for another at USC. And the Men of Troy have awakened from their slumber with great enthusiasm.
More big news came in July 2022 when USC announced they would leave the Pac-12 Conference with the UCLA Bruins for the Big Ten Conference in 2024. Subsequently, the Pac-12 imploded in August 2023 with a mass exodus of top teams. 2023 marks the final season of the league as a credible entity.
Led by a high-powered offense and Heisman Trophy-winning QB Caleb Williams, USC showed marked improvement in coach Lincoln Riley’s debut season. The Trojans earned a trip to the Pac-12 title game and played in the Cotton Bowl against Tulane. While 2022 represented a step forward, USC is set on contending for the CFB Playoff.
Williams will again lead one of the nation’s top offenses. Still, the Trojans must improve on defense to win the Pac-12 Championship. A handful of transfers, such as Georgia defensive lineman Bear Alexander and Oklahoma State linebacker Mason Cobb, should boost the defense. Also, the schedule is backloaded. In turn, that gives Riley plenty of time to figure things out on both sides of the ball.
USC is going for more in 2023. Cause by nearly winning the Pac-12 title and making the College Football Playoff last season. Correlate that’s where the bar is set under Riley. And there are several reasons to think that the Trojans can clear it. Especially with a Heisman winner leading the way and a ton of talent on both sides of the ball.