Don’t forget about USC just yet

USC began the season as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press media poll, but the Trojans were gone after three games, ousted after a 21-14 loss at Stanford.

There has just been something slightly off about USC. This seems to be the greatest college of skill players in school history, but the offense has looked pedestrian at times, sometimes deliberately conservative, sometimes just humdrum.

The season averages of 34.86 points and 421.29 yards per games are nice. Not great. In this juiced-up age of offense, those averages rank merely 34th and 47th nationally.

Safe to say, more was expected from a unit featuring preseason Heisman favorite Matt Barkley, two of the greatest receivers in school history (Robert Woods and Marqise Lee) and two 1,000-yard rushers from last season (Curtis McNeal and Penn State transfer Silas Redd).

While USC has faded from the main discussion, we’ve become enthralled by Alabama’s ruthless efficiency, Oregon’s flash and the will to win of Kansas State’s Collin Klein, while Florida and Notre Dame are making surprising runs behind powerful defenses.

And, yet, it would be wise to not forget about USC down the stretch.

As the national championship contenders continue to narrow, the Trojans are hanging around on the fringes of the race. They are 6-1. They are ninth in the BCS standings. They have yet to truly inspire the way the teams ahead of them have, but they still have the potential to strike.

Consider: A 13-1 USC team would be a formidable force in the BCS standings in early December.

If that record were to happen, the Trojans have would defeated Oregon in the regular season, Notre Dame and, very possibly, Oregon again (or Oregon State or Stanford) in the Pac-12 championship game. Other wins would have come over Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA — no slouches there.

Win or lose, USC’s strength of schedule is soon going to go way up.

“I love how our schedule has played out,” said defensive tackle George Uko. “We’ve got our stuff down, and now it’s time to play big-time ball. Our defense is ready to shock people.”

This is, as expected, an extremely talented team.

The defensive line might have been considered a weak link, especially with the loss of defensive end Devon Kennard to a preseason pec injury. No problem. Junior college transfer Morgan Breslin has seven sacks from defensive end, and true freshman Leonard Williams has taken over as the starter at defensive tackle.

The all-sophomore starting linebacker crew is excellent, led by Dion Bailey (four interceptions). Cornerback Nickell Robey and free safety T.J. McDonald anchor the secondary. One personnel question on defense has been the cornerback spot opposite Robey, but the move of Josh Shaw there, rotating with Torin Harris, has quieted some concerns.

USC is 18th nationally in scoring defense (16.7 points per game), and here’s a good sign: Just like in the Pete Carroll glory days, the Trojans are among the nation’s best at creating turnovers. Their total of 22 turnovers gained is tied for the second in the country.

USC has yet to put it all together. Maybe that’s the burden of expectations as the program came off a two-year bowl ban. Coach Lane Kiffin talked recently about “fun” … as in the Trojans didn’t seem to be playing with any joy. Carroll’s teams always looked like they were having more fun than anyone in the country. That’s something these guys have to recapture — and soon.

This week’s game at Arizona won’t be easy. Rich Rodriguez’s offense can move the ball against anybody. But the Trojans should be able to counter-strike efficiently against a suspect Wildcats defense and move on to the showdown vs. the Ducks on Nov. 3.

USC doesn’t have to leave Los Angeles after this. The Oregon and Notre Dame games are in the L.A. Coliseum. The only road game left is at UCLA.

The Trojans need help to get back into the national title picture. Just don’t rule it out yet.