USC football finished the 2022 season with a strong 10-3 record. The team lost Utah twice before falling to Tulane in their bowl game. Two of the losses came down to single digits and the second Utah lost ultimately cost USC a College Football Playoff berth. With that said, let’s dive into some USC football predictions, with a season preview and roster overview.
FanDuel Sportsbook has set the price on USC’s win total at 9.5, with the over juiced to -188. The Trojans are +1600 to win the National Championship, +230 to make the College Football Playoff and +200 to win the PAC 12.
2023 USC Football Predictions & Season Preview
USC Football 2023 Season Preview: Coaching Staff
USC will now enter year two under head coach Lincoln Riley after a successful run at Oklahoma. Riley retains most of his staff, including offensive coordinator Josh Henson and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. Henson previously coached Texas A&M’s offensive line from 2019-2021 before coming over to USC. Grinch has been the sore spot for a lot of USC fans. Not only did Grinch struggle with USC’s defense last year, but he struggled throughout his tenure as defensive coordinator with Oklahoma in his previous stop. Most expect USC’s offense to continue humming, but the defense will be under a microscope this year.
USC Football 2023 Season Preview: Offense
Quarterback
USC returns the reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams at quarterback. He completed 334 of 502 passes (66.5% completion percentage) for 4,539 yards (9.0 yards per attempt), 42 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. The future NFL quarterback now has two years of elite passing efficiency numbers to his name. Additionally, Williams proved more than capable as a rusher, finishing with 382 yards on 113 carries.
These numbers could have been even better, but he was sacked 30 times last year and ended up getting injured. Dropping the sack numbers should be a priority for USC in 2023. Overall, Williams finished as the PAC 12’s highest graded passer, per ProFootballFocus. Behind him, USC still has backup Miller Moss, who threw 14 times last year for 159 yards. Moss came to USC as a four-star recruit from the 2021 class. USC also recruited five-star freshman Malachi Nelson this offseason. He enters the program as the fifth ranked quarterback in the 2023 class. Needless to say, this USC quarterback room remains locked and loaded.
Running Back
USC lost leading rusher Travis Dye this offseason after rushing for 884 yards on 145 carries last year. However, they return their second-leading rusher and former Stanford transfer Austin Jones. Jones carried 135 times for 705 yards and five scores, while catching 25 balls for another 267 yards. Jones stands 5-10, 195 pounds and averaged an efficient 3.28 yards after contact per attempt and a forced missed tackle on 12.6% of his attempts.
To bolster this room USC added South Carolina transfer MarShawn Lloyd. Lloyd stands 5-9, 212 pounds and rushed 110 times for 565 yards and nine scores last year. Lloyd also caught 18 balls for another 173 yards, dropping three passes along the way. He averaged a hyper-efficient 4.05 yards after contact per attempt and a forced missed tackle on 35.5% of his attempts.
For depth purposes, USC returns Darwin Barlow and gadget guy Raleek Brown. Brown is particularly intriguing, giving his explosive ability. He may dabble at receiver this year, so his role remains to be seen. USC also has a pair of four-star freshmen in Quinten Joyner and A’Marion Peterson for the future as well.
Wide Receiver
The receiver position loses Jordan Addison, Kyle Ford, and a number of depth pieces. However, they return their second-leading receiver Tahj Washington. The former Memphis transfer caught 50 balls for 785 yards and six scores last year. He stands 5-11, 175 pounds and played in the slot 87.4% of the time. His 2.34 yards per route ranked eighth in the PAC 12 last year.
They also return Mario Williams, who battled injury throughout 2022. The former Oklahoma transfer stands 5-9, 185 pounds and caught 40 balls for 637 yards and five scores. He played in the slot 83.5% of the time and his 1.84 yards per route ranked 26th. Former Colorado transfer Brenden Rice should also be expected to start after catching 39 balls for 611 yards and four scores last year with USC. Rice stands 6-3, 205 pounds and played out wide 92% of the time. His 1.87 yards per route ranked 22nd in the conference last year.
Finally, USC added Arizona transfer Dorian Singer, who ranked second in the PAC 12 in receiving. Singer stands 6-1, 185 pounds and caught 66 balls for 1,105 yards and six scores with Arizona last year. He played out wide 68.7% of the time and his 2.18 yards per route ranked 14th. USC’s receiver depth doesn’t stop there either. Kyron Hudson caught 15 balls for 152 yards last year. Michael Jackson III also reeled in 17 balls for 236 yards. USC also landed the top receiver in the country in five-star freshman Zachariah Branch. This room remains absolutely loaded ahead of 2023.
Tight End
USC’s offense doesn’t always use a tight end, but they have pretty solid depth here. Lake McRee returns after catching ten balls for 106 yards last year. The 6-5, 230 pound tight end blocked on 56% of his snaps. USC also gets back oft-injured former four-star recruit Jude Wolfe. After numerous foot surgeries, his impact remains to be seen. The real breakout candidate here could be five-star freshman Duce Robinson. The top tight end in this class, Robinson is listed at 6-6, 225 pounds. The Trojans may opt to use him as a glorified receiver, similar to Brock Bowers at Georgia. Again, USC possesses an incredible combination of depth and high end talent.
Offensive Line
The USC offensive line lost center Brett Neilon, left tackle Bobby Haskins, left guard Andrew Vorhees, and swing tackle Courtland Ford. The Trojans return starting right tackle Jonah Monheim, who played 1,004 snaps in his first year starting last year. He projects to hold down the same position here after an elite 2023 season.
Right guard looks like Washington State transfer Jarrett Kingston. Kingston started the last two years at left tackle and left guard for Washington State. He has lined up on the right side so far this year, but he gives the program versatility. At center, Justin Dedich projects to move over from guard after 930 snaps last year. He now has two years of elite starting experience to his name with USC.
At left guard, Gino Quinones has been lining up as a starter after 208 snaps last year. He doesn’t have much experience, but the team has been excited about his growth. Finally, the left tackle looks like Florida transfer Michael Tarquin. Tarquin played at least 350 snaps in each of the last two years with Florida. To start camp, Tarquin lined up at left tackle.
From there, USC also brings back Mason Murphy, who played 396 snaps as a swing tackle last year. For further depth, USC added Florida guard transfer Ethan White. White played 718 snaps last year and has two years of starting experience. Emmanuel Pregnon also came over from Wyoming after playing 625 snaps in his first year starting with the Cowboys. Despite losing so many starters on this unit, USC still possesses a strong blend of talent and depth.
USC Football 2023 Season Preview: Defense
USC ranked 66th on defense in 2022. This included the 79th-ranked run defense, 74th-ranked pass rush and 58th-ranked secondary. USC actually returns a lot of production on this side of the ball. However, they brought in eight transfers and three four-star recruits to increase the output of this unit.
Defensive Line
Along the edge, USC Tuli Tuipulotu and Nick Figueroa, but they smashed the transfer portal. Anthony Lucas comes over from Texas A&M after a tumultuous freshman year. Despite only seeing the field for 143 snaps last year, he is a former five-star recruit. They also added Georgia State transfer Jamil Muhammad, who has been lining up with the starters. Muhammad played 511 snaps last year and logged 21 quarterback pressures.
The two deep features names like Solomon Tuliaupupu and Sam Greene. Korey Foreman also remains on the roster. The former five-star recruit has actually played decent on his limited snaps, raising questions on why he doesn’t receive more. Former Auburn transfer Romello Height also remains in place, but he only saw 33 snaps last year. Overall, it’s hard to see this pass rush finishing worse than 74th again this year.
On the interior USC lost defensive tackle Brandon Pili. While the team does return some production, USC projects to rely more on their transfer at this position. Highlighting the group, Bear Alexander comes over from Georgia. He only played 169 snaps last year, but he logged 11 pressures and showed out in the National Championship.
Kyon Barrs comes over from Arizona after 1,523 snaps in his four year career. Barrs has always been more of a run-stuffer at 310 pounds, but he should play in a rotation. They also landed Purdue transfer and hybrid defensive lineman Jack Sullivan. Sullivan also has 1,342snaps to his name and took a major jump forward in 2022 with 35 quarterback pressures. From there, Stanley Ta’ufo’ou and Tyrone Taleni return 505 and 499 snaps from last year’s team. Taleni logged 7.5 tackles for loss and Ta’ufo’ou notched 5.5 himself. Expect both of their snaps to come down with the added talent in this room.
Linebacker
At linebacker USC also hit the transfer portal, adding Oklahoma State veteran Mason Cobb. Cobb played 863 snaps last year and ranked second on the Cowboys with 96 tackles. and 13 tackles for loss. In addition to Cobb, USC returns their top two linebackers in Shane Lee and Eric Gentry. Gentry played 560 snaps last year and finished with 71 tackles. Lee played 623 snaps and logged 79 tackles himself. Both backers had their deficiencies, so adding Cobb to the fold to help. with that said, Cobb missed 28 tackles last year and missed tackles have already been an issue for the Trojans.
Defensive Back
At corner, USC lost arguably their best defender Mekhi Blackmon from last year’s team. With that said, they return a pair of starters in Ceyair Wright and Jaylin Smith. Wright played 623 snaps last year and broke up two passes. Wright only allowed 303 yards on 43 targets, which come in as above average numbers. Smith played 499 snaps last year as USC’s primary nickel defender. He only broke up one pass, but logged 37 tackles as he moved around the defense. The final starter projects to be
Arizona transfer Christian Roland-Wallace. Roland-Wallace has an absurd 2,628 snaps of experience in his four collegiate seasons at this point. They also added Alabama transfer Tre’Quon Fegans. Fegans has yet to take the field, but he was a four-star prospect from the 2022 class. However, the depth remains pretty solid here. Latrell McCutchin and Jacobe Covington played 354 and 308 snaps for this team last year.
At safety USC returns both starters in Calen Bullock and Bryson Shaw. Bullock played 837 snaps for USC last year and graded out as their second best coverage defender. He logged five pass breakups and five interceptions, along with 48 tackles. Shaw took over towards the end of last year, logging 405 snaps. He defended four passed, logged an interception, and recorded 50 tackles himself. USC also returns Max Williams, who led the team with 79 tackles. Williams did defend five passes and log two interceptions, but Shaw has been lining up ahead of him so far this offseason. Overall, the secondary should be pretty strong for USC in 2023.
2023 USC Football Schedule & Predictions
USC Football 2023 Schedule
The Trojans play a non-conference schedule comprised of San Jose State, Nevada, and Notre Dame. This should result in a pair of easy wins, but the Notre Dame game projects to be close. Within conference, USC draws four of the top five contenders outside of themselves. They travel to Oregon, but they draw Utah, Washington, and UCLA at home. Regardless, this comes in as a pretty tough schedule.
USC Football Futures Bet & Prediction
The Trojan Over/Under 9.5 wins comes in with heavy juice towards the over. This team will be favored in almost every game, but a few of them will be by slight margins. As long as they stay healthy the over should hit. However, the over correlates with a conference championship and potential playoff berth. The best odds come in the postseason market with USC +200 to win the PAC 12.
Best USC Football Futures Bet: Win PAC 12 (+200 at FanDuel)
You can read the rest of Matt Gajewski’s 2023 college football season previews and predictions below!
- Alabama Season Preview & Predictions
- Arkansas Season Preview & Predictions
- Auburn Season Preview & Predictions
- Baylor Season Preview & Predictions
- Florida Season Preview & Predictions
- Georgia Season Preview & Predictions
- Iowa Season Preview & Predictions
- Iowa State Season Preview & Predictions
- Kansas Season Preview & Predictions
- Kansas State Season Preview & Predictions
- Kentucky Season Preview & Predictions
- LSU Season Preview & Predictions
- Michigan Season Preview & Predictions
- Mississippi State Season Preview & Predictions
- Missouri Season Preview & Predictions
- Oklahoma Season Preview & Predictions
- Oklahoma State Season Preview & Predictions
- Ole Miss Season Preview & Predictions
- South Carolina Season Preview & Predictions
- TCU Season Preview & Predictions
- Tennessee Season Preview & Predictions
- Texas Season Preview & Predictions
- Texas A&M Season Preview & Predictions
- Texas Tech Season Preview & Predictions
- Vanderbilt Season Preview & Predictions
- West Virginia Season Preview & Predictions
