USC coach Lincoln Riley has a habit of loving every freshman in training camp. I’ve been curious when he would speak about wide receiver Makai Lemon, because five-star Zacariah Branch tends to get most of the publicity for the new receivers. “He’s had an awesome camp,” Riley said. “We’ve been able to move him around position wise. He’s handled it well mentally, stayed healthy. He’s … Continue reading USC Notes: A Freshman WR Finally Gets A Mention
I identified the offensive line as an area of inconsistency during training camp. Here’s another one: The secondary. “They have good days and not-so-good days,” a source said. The safeties are basically the same trio from last season: Caleb Bullock, Bryson Shaw and Max Williams. So we know what we have there. It’s the cornerback position that has been a bigger point of contention. The … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Another Area Of Contention
USC being ranked No. 6 in the AP poll is significant from a historical perspective: Since 2004, every national champ was ranked in the AP preseason poll’s top 7 except Auburn (2010) and Florida State (2013). I actually think No. 6 is a bit high for USC but the polls agreed on it. Continue reading USC Notes: History Suggests Poll Ranking Important
Since the coaches’ preseason poll comes out first, it’s not unusual for the AP poll to have some remarkable coincidences. For example, USC is ranked No. 6 today in the AP Top 25 poll, just like in the coaches’ poll. Five Pac-12 teams made the Top 25. RANK SCHOOL POINTS 1 Georgia (60) 1,572 2 Michigan (2) 1,490 3 Ohio State (1) 1,400 4 Alabama … Continue reading USC Ranked No. 6 In AP Poll
One thing going on in USC training camp is a slower-than-expected development with the offensive line. With so many new transfers starting, it was expected to take some time for the line to gel. But sources said some of the problems the first two weeks were not necessarily related to the unit’s cohesion. “There’s been some sloppiness, penalties, things that are going to get fixed,” … Continue reading USC Morning Buzz: Some Things Take Time To Fix
This is widely regarded as a banner year for the Pac-12 with USC, Washington, Oregon, Utah, Oregon State, UCLA and Washington State getting votes in the USA Today coaches’ preseason poll. But the flip side of the Pac-12 is not inspiring oddsmaker Danny Sheridan of DrafKings. He lists four Pac-12 teams among his worst 12 teams in the Power 5 Conferences. Sheridan has Arizona No. … Continue reading USC Sunday Buzz: Pac-12 Well-Represented Among Nation’s Worst P5 Teams
