USC defensive changes has Joel Klatt higher on Trojans than most
The USC Trojans will open the season as the No. 23 team in the nation in the Coaches Poll. On3’s Jesse Simonton took a stab at predicting the AP preseason poll and also slotted the Trojans in at No. 23. Somewhere in the bottom of the top 25 has been a pretty consistent placement for the Trojans by just about anybody or any entity with a preseason poll. But Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt is more optimistic than most.
Klatt slots the Trojans in at No. 14 in his preseason poll. That’s one spot ahead of Oklahoma and a full five spots ahead of LSU, USC’s season-opening opponent.
“I think USC is going to be really good,” Klatt wrote of the Trojans. “I think USC is going to surprise some people. This is the perfect type of team for Lincoln Riley.
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“The Trojans should be better on defense. Riley brought in D’Anton Lynn, Matt Entz and Eric Henderson to help coach the defense. They were awful on defense last year, and it wasn’t just the players’ fault — the scheme, the gap soundness of their front was atrocious. They should be better just by playing fundamentally sound from a structural standpoint. If that’s all they do, they’re going to be better on defense.”
His poll again reinforces the thought that USC will face a very difficult schedule in 2024. Notre Dame checks in at No. 6, Michigan is No. 7, Penn State is No. 10, LSU is No. 19 and Nebraska is No. 23. The Trojans will take on LSU in a neutral site game, travel to Michigan and host Notre Dame, Penn State and Nebraska this season.
