My pick for '07 title? USC
By Staff
Justin Schuver, Sports Editor
Those of you who have read all my columns might recall that last year I whiffed pretty badly on my pick to win the college football national championship. My pick – Iowa – finished 7-5 and lost 31-24 to Florida in the Outback Bowl. Oops.
Though to be fair, I was just as wrong in my pick as the millions who thought USC would win it all. And at least I didn't pick Tennessee or Purdue.
I think that Iowa again should be a solid team, and could even contend for the Big Ten title if Ohio State can't absorb its considerable losses on defense. But I'm not going to make the same mistake twice.
As a proud fan and alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, it is tempting to pick the Irish to win it all. But that schedule is tough, and the defense is a huge question mark in my mind. I do think Charlie Weis is building something in South Bend, but I don't think that they're going to take the title in 2007, despite the growing national hype.
For the first time in quite a few years, there really isn't one standout contender for the national championship. Every team has strengths but each also has some considerable flaws. Notre Dame has a stellar offense, but questionable defense and special teams. Ohio State is returning quarterback Troy Smith but is losing nine starters on defense. Michigan has a wealth of talent on both sides of the ball, but is coached by Lloyd Carr.
What's an armchair prognosticator to do? I tell you what this soothsayer is going to do. He's going to pick a team that surprisingly isn't getting much attention. A team that will enter the 2006 season with a major chip on its shoulder. A team that is ready to return to the top.
That team…is the University of Southern California.
As a Notre Dame alumnus, it literally sickens me to write that last sentence. I feel like a Benedict Arnold to all that is Blue and Gold. But in a college season where there is no clear-cut favorite, I'm going to go with the team that has the history of winning.
Of course, like so many teams in the 2007 season, this USC Trojans squad has several major holes to fill. It isn't too often that a team loses its entire starting backfield, then wins the national title the very next year.
That's where recruiting comes in, and over the past four years, no team in the country has been better at it than USC. To replace quarterback Matt Leinart, the Trojans have a pair of former high school superstars in John David Booty and Mark Sanchez. And no matter who is throwing the ball, when you have receivers like Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith you can have nearly any quarterback look good.
To replace Reggie Bush and LenDale White, the Men of Troy offer C.J. Gable and Stafon Johnson, two true freshmen who should be able to step in and compete for the starting job right away. And no matter who the Trojans line up in the backfield, they will be running behind an offensive line that returns two All-Americans Sam Baker at tackle and Ryan Kalil at center. Fill in the holes with a few names off a seemingly-endless list of blue-chip prospects and USC should again have one of the top offensive lines in the country.
But USC head coach Pete Carroll's specialty is on the defensive side of the ball, and these Trojans are again stacked. The linebacker corps returns Oscar Lua, Rey Maualauga, Dallas Sartz and Brian Cushing among others. Secondary play in 2005 was shaky at best, and could again be a problem with a bevy of new faces having to start in the backfield. If there's a glaring weak spot on this year's version of the Trojans, it can be found in the secondary.
If there are any growing pains for the young USC offense, the early schedule should give the Trojans plenty of time to work out the kinks. USC's most difficult games are arguably Notre Dame and California, and those both come very late in the schedule. Win those two games and there's no reason the Trojans shouldn't be playing for the crystal football in January.
And this time, there won't be any Vince Young to get in their way.
