USC football picked to win PAC-12

After a 1-3 start to the 2016 football season, many people were ready to declare USC Trojans football, officially defunct. They were calling for Coach Clay Helton to be fired, and media outlets in the Los Angeles area were asking the question, will USC ever be able to get back to national prominence? After ending the season with 9 game winning streak, and the most memorable Rose Bowl win since 2004 to capture the AP National Title, USC has been tabbed as the favorite to take the PAC-12 Crown in 2017.

USC has been riding the hype train since the end of last season, most of it due to the emergence of Sam Darnold and his pending Heisman campaign. However, with the returning starters on defense for USC reading like one long end of season awards watch list, it’s easy to see why 28 of 52 Media members picked USC to win the PAC-12. Defending champions Washington received 22 votes, while Oregon and Utah also received one vote each.

Even more stunning than the lopsided number of votes for USC and Washington to win the PAC-12 were the votes for the division winners. The Trojans and Huskies received a staggering 49 of 52 votes to win the PAC-12 South and North Divisions. Stanford, Washington State, and Oregon each received one vote to win the North. While UCLA, Utah, and Colorado received one vote each in the South.

Fall camp opens for the Trojans on July 29th and the drive to the College Football Play Off begins September 2nd vs Western Michigan.