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2018 Preseason USC Trojans Rankings

Main Poll Voters

User	Rank	Reason
DanNeverDie	4
noahthearc	4
DeceptiveSpeed	5
Daigotsu	6
Pikachu1989	7
PHubbs	8	For the first time in 2 years, no one will have to listen to the over-the-top Darnold hype during every game. The problem with that, though, is that Darnold deserved "most" of that hype and will be next to irreplaceable for the Trojans heading into this season. By relying on a true freshman QB in Daniels, USC has set themselves up for either incredible success or demoralizing defeat. Even outside of QB, USC is replacing 60% of their offensive production and 35% on the defensive side of the ball. They have recruited at an elite level, but there is so much that can go wrong for them. I expect them to hold this spot by being more talented than the rest of their division, but they will have plenty of opportunity to crash and burn and are likely the leading candidate to fall out of the top 10 first.
taloncarde	8
bakonydraco	9
galacticdude7	9
Miami_da_U	9
AllHawkeyesGoToHell	10
bgr308	10
BlueSCar	10
confirmd_am_engineer	10
flipadelphia17	10
Knightro2011	10
vanburen1845	10
BlueFalcon89	11
BosskOnASegway	11
joebob431	11
moistats_	11
mynameisjona	11
Nathanael-Greene	11
nickknx865	11	1944
ReallyCreative	11
TDenverFan	11
Alwaysahawk	12
BorisNumber1	12
Brostradamus_	12
DEP61	12
djowen68	12
doormatt26	12
jmac_21	12	Will be a team to watch in the Pac 12. The sky is the limit.
MonkeyPunch	12	11-3
ndhuskerpower	12
RobertNeyland	12
uwbjb	12
3RDnKING	13
Bill3ffinMurray	13
Cassiyus	13
CertifiedSheep	13
cfbguy	13
coreyfra	13
Fifth_Down	13
hascogrande	13
Hobbes_121	13
jnoobs13	13
kelling928	13
Papalew32	13
SCRx	13
studio_sally	13
The-Gothic-Castle	13
thegreendalegelf	13
TheTeamCubed	13
VerySeriousBanana	13
03040905	14
A-Stu-Ute	14
alextoyalex	14
BobDeLaSponge	14
buttforaface	14
bwburke94	14
g_mo821	14
GenialGiant	14	The Trojans lost a couple tough games last season, but the bigger challenge for them will be overcoming the loss of Sam Darnold.
Ghost_of_Dude	14
JeromesNiece	14	USC loses a lot of talent on offense, and I'm not completely sold on Clay Helton being a long-term success for the Trojans. Hard to put them lower than 15th in a relatively weak Pac-12 South, though
justsaynotoreddit	14	0.809
KingKliffsbury	14
Mario_Speedwagon	14
olmsted	14
plannedsickdays	14
polydorr	14
PureCFR	14
Rakarei	14
scronko	14
T-Thugs	14	Reigning pac-12 champs. Have a new QB to break in.
tdeff19	14
Texasagsman	14
WarEagle9	14
was_saying_boo_urns	14
xelphin	14	Got absolutely dunked on by Ohio State after winning the Pac-12. They have a lot to prove this year.
Xtremeloco	14
admiraltarkin	15
BamaPride95	15
Blooblod	15	USC has one of the most talented rosters in the country once again, but the playoff aspirations of the Trojans rest on the shoulders of a true freshman. The offense around J.T. Daniels should give him plenty of help, but tough road games at Stanford and Texas early in the season will be a trial by fire for the young QB. A snakebitten o-line hopes to be much improved this season and could make a world of difference. On defense, look for Christian Rector and Cameron Smith to have huge years and for a pair of redshirt freshman DTs to make a name for themselves in Marlon Tuipulotu and Jay Tufele. The pressure's on for Iman Marshall as it's his last chance to prove that he can be a lockdown corner for the Trojans. My Trojans record prediction: 9-3. J.T. Daniels will show his youth in week two against Stanford. After a close win against Texas, Khalil Tate runs wild against a defense that is otherwise stout for the rest of the year. By the time Notre Dame rolls around in week 13, J.T. Daniels is fully settled in and the Trojans are looking like one of the best teams in the country--but ND squeaks out a win in a close and possibly controversial game between these rival superpowers.
brobroma	15
cmdrcaboose2	15
conchobor	15
djmoody90	15
G-manP	15
GeneralGBO	15
Harmbert_	15
icklebush	15
JCiLee	15
Red261	15
relax_on_the_mat	15
RiffRamBahZoo	15
sasmith2015	15
TheJeemTeam	15
TheReformedBadger	15
TotalEconomist	15
TriStarBear	15
typicaliconoclast	15
ya111101	15
52hoova	16	Losing a LOT from last year, but they always have good enough athletes to compete. 
BrutonGaster77	16
cajunaggie08	16
CambodianDrywall	16
captain_sasquatch	16
chrisb19	16	The Pac12 South is in a brutal rebuild right now with new head coaches at UCLA, Arizona, and Arizona State. While Utah will still hang around to challenge USC, and they have to replace Darnold's production at quarterback, they're still favorites to win the South. A tricky schedule that sees their annual match-ups against the Irish and the Cardinal, plus an OOC visit to Tom Herman's resurgent Texas team could provide some landmines to avoid schedule-wise. But they should still finish the season in pole position for a shot at the Pac12 title. Avoiding Washington and Oregon out of the North gives them a slightly easier path.
CockADoodleBOOM	16
dan4223	16
e8odie	16
G-Aardvark	16
GoBlueScrewOSU7	16
Hackasizlak	16
itsabearcannon	16
Johnnycockseed	16
lebaronslebaron	16
mellolizard	16
mjacksongt	16
Plneapple	16
retnuh101	16
ryker888	16
ScarletFever333	16
SSJRoshi	16
stripes361	16	Composite: 28.4
tallg8tor	16
TanzaniaMagic	16
TheZachster	16
W_Is_For_Will	16
Wurst_Law	16
AaronRodgers16	17
CFSparta92	17
ChickenTaco	17
corundum9	17
DarkLegend64	17
Feral_Squirrel	17
RatherBeYachting	17
sirgippy	17
TaylorLeprechaun	17
tmart12	17
ToLongDR	17
WeenisWrinkle	17
Dropbackandpunt	18
goblue10	18	SO who's gonna play QB? They'll probably still win the south because who else is going to? Utah?
halldaylong	18
HelioOne	18
HUSKEROYAL	18	Sam "wouldn't have it any other way" Darnold is gone, but the Trojans always have talent on their team. It will be interesting to see how this team manages a difficult schedule early on with trips to Stanford, Texas, and Arizona in September.
Our-Gardian-Angel	18
puffadda	18
SCsprinter13	18
teddythe3rd	18
ThaCarter	18
THECrew42	18
UNC_Samurai	18
Branzilla91	19
Helifino	19
I_am_bot_beep_boop	19
RegulatorRWF	19
seaotter2	19
ucieaters33	19
woakley	19	This one may be my most controversial, but I just dont buy into USC this year. I think Sam Darnold covered up for a lot of holes on this team last year and that the loss of them and Ronald Jones will be a lot for them to overcome. Combine that with a lot of freshman playing on a team whose OOC schedule includes Texas and Notre Dame and I think we see USC take a step back this year
deadtofall12	20
Fmeson	20
Greflingorax	20
monkeymatt1836	20
boxman151515	21	Questions abound at QB, and we'll see if the rush defense improves. But USC is talented, as always, and it'd be silly to dismiss USC. 
Charlemagne42	21	The Darnold's offensive line and receiver corps made him look much better than he actually is. Most of them are still around. USC isn't going away yet.
dicky_________seamus	21
eclectic_tastes	21
Extra_Excrement	21	Ah yes, the other USC. Not as much energy surrounding the Trojans since r/The_Darnold packed their bags and took a Jet out to the east coast. You aren't a premier football school if you don't have talent and USC has plenty of it. I'm predicting a slow start but the PAC12 South is completely open still.
T-nawtical	21
hokies220	22	Bit of a disappointment last year compared to what could've been, but they're USC they should just reload and win the south again.
JonesUCF34	22
kdcoltred	22
mickeyquicknumbers	25	Nothing about USC looks particularly promising on the surface except for a scattered position or two. But there are only 3 teams that are outright more talented than them going down the whole roster (and those teams are ranked 1st 3rd and 5th), so imagine the Trojans will end up just sort of meandering around with true freshman QB growing pains this year but still end up with a borderline-ranked quality team.

Provisional Poll Voters

User	Rank	Reason

Blue = Human
Red = Computer
Green = Hybrid

Bold = before the AP poll was published
Normal = after the AP poll was published

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