Pressure Is On USC Trojans to Make College Football Playoff in 2015

Steve Sarkisian made his return to the USC Trojans in 2014, leading the program through the last of their NCAA sanctions pretty successfully. They finished the year at 9-4 and just one game out of the Pac-12 South Division title. The Trojans were ranked No. 20 in the final AP poll of the year and capped the year off with a strong win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Holiday Bowl.

It was a nice debut season. And while that would be good enough in most places, 2014 was simply a warmup for Sark to get his footing. Now, the pressure is on USC to return to their former glory by winning the Pac-12 and making the 2015 College Football Playoff.

When Pete Carroll was at the helm during the 2000s, USC was one of the top teams in the country year in and year out. They dominated their conference, leaving little doubt as to who the best team on the West Coast was in any given season, and were always in the mix at the end of the year for a spot in the BCS National Championship. They were as close to a dynasty as there was in college football at the time as the Trojans rose to new heights for the program.

But then Carroll bolted to the NFL and the NCAA dropped the hammer on the program for a “lack of institutional control” concerning agents giving large sums of money to former USC tailback Reggie Bush and his family. In the fallout, Bush lost his Heisman Trophy, USC lost a national title, and the Trojans were hit with heavy sanctions that would severely hamper their efforts moving forward.

As they struggled under the yoke of losing scholarships and being banned from the postseason, the landscape of the conference they once ruled with an iron fist changed dramatically. The Pac 10 became the Pac-12 and USC’s fall from grace opened the door for programs like the Oregon Ducks and Stanford Cardinal to seize power. Since USC ended their run of at least a share of the conference title in seven straight seasons back in 2008, it’s been either the Ducks or the Cardinal who have claimed the crown, shifting the balance of power in the conference out of Southern California and into the Pac-12 North Division.

But even as the Trojans have labored under NCAA sanctions, the level of expectations hasn’t dipped in the slightest around the program. USC is still a destination for top recruits and routinely ranks among the best in the nation and in the Pac-12 despite being allowed fewer recruits than everyone else. This has resulted in USC teams that are as talented as anyone in the country along the top line of their depth chart, but fall off significantly once the reserves are forced into action. This lack of depth has kept the Trojans from really being a legitimate threat to win the conference title despite having as much raw talent in the starting lineup as anyone they played.

This was evident in 2013 when Lane Kiffin finally ran out of chances to put a consistent winner onto the field as the head coach of the Trojans. For as great as he was in recruiting top talent to the school, Kiffin struggled to put it together on Saturdays and win football games. Once he was fired, however, the talent of the team rose up and the Trojans ultimately won 10 games, which is a rare thing for a team that fired their coach midseason.

This is what Sarkisian was brought in to fix. As a key member of the Carroll regime, Sark understood what it took to take this program to the top. With a cupboard filled with elite talent, the expectation was that USC football would be back on that championship level sooner rather than later. That’s why a 9-4 record, which most first-year coaches would be happy with, is not good enough and will be the reason that the pressure gets turned up a notch when the Trojans take the field in 2015.

Adding to the optimism around the Coliseum for next season is the return of Cody Kessler at quarterback. Though many were unsure if he would be the starter in 2014, there’s no question about his role next season after he exploded onto the scene in his first year under Sarkisian, completing 69.7 percent of his passes for 3,826 yards and 39 touchdowns against only five interceptions. He will be the No. 1 returning quarterback in the Pac-12 next season and has already garnered some buzz as a Heisman Trophy candidate next fall.

But while the quarterback returns, many of his supporting cast are moving on to the NFL this spring. Leading receiver Nelson Agholor (104 receptions, 1,313 yards, 12 TDs) and leading rusher Javorius Allen (1,489 yards, 11 TDs) have both declared for the NFL Draft in addition to receiver George Farmer. That’s not to mention the likes of tight end Randall Telfer who used up the last of his eligibility in 2014.

No player is likely to be missed more, however, than defensive end Leonard Williams, who was as dominant a defensive player in college football last season as anyone despite playing through nagging injuries. He could single-handedly wreck opposing offensive gameplans with his ability to disrupt and dominate the line of scrimmage. Many scouts have him rated as the No. 1 prospect in the upcoming draft and he headlines a talented group of Trojans taking their talents to the next level.

Joining Williams from the defensive side of the ball will be the team’s leading tackler in 2014, Hayes Pullard, sack leader J.R. Tavai, and defensive back Gerald Bowman. All three seniors played key roles in the success of USC’s No. 1 rated defense in the Pac-12 last season and will leave significant holes to be filled now that they are gone. Add it all up, and the Trojans will be looking for a lot of fresh faces to step up next season.

But this is USC and they do not rebuild; they simply reload. No matter the caliber of player that leaves the program for the NFL, the expectation is that the next man up will be just as good, if not better. Sarkisian is counting on it. His reputation as a coach and his job at USC could very well depend on it. Without some tangible success on the field in 2015 and a return to a National Championship-level of play by getting into the College Football Playoff, things could start to get uncomfortable for Sark.

USC carries an expectation of being the best. Sarkisian was brought in with the promise of returning the program to the top of the college football world. 2015 is the year that Sark needs to deliver on that promise.

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