(20) USC @ (1) Alabama

8:00 PM EST, ABC – Line: Alabama -12,  Over/Under: 53

Smith-Schuster was explosive in 2015, racking up 1,454 yards and ten touchdowns, and will be counted upon to ease the transition to a new Quarterback.

College Football Giants collide on Opening Weekend as the twentieth-ranked Southern California Trojans battle the top-ranked, defending National Champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.  As successful as these two programs have been over the last fifteen years, tonight’s meeting marks their first encounter since the 1985 Aloha Bowl; since that tryst the two programs have combined to win a combined seven National Championships, while serving as mainstays in the Polls.  However, despite their respective Preseason Rankings these teams find themselves in very similar situations: loaded with talent, yet uncertain about their prospects at Quarterback, where both programs are still trying to figure out what exactly they have.  In regards to the Trojans (we’ll get to the champs in a bit), newly-minted Head Coach Clay Helton has reportedly settled upon Max Browne as the successor to the very productive Cody Kessler, who served as the starter for each of the past two seasons.  Browne, a Junior, has the advantage over Redshirt Freshman Sam Darnold, thanks in large part to familiarity with the system, which is imperative when you consider they’ll be facing Alabama’s vaunted defense.  Though he’s hardly a vested veteran (he threw just nineteen passes over the past two seasons), one would have to think that Browne would be able to handle himself better than Darnold, particularly given the rather large question mark that USC has at Left Tackle; Senior blindside protector Chad Wheeler will miss tonight’s contest, nursing an ailing foot.  However, if the rest of a unit comprised of veteran linemen can in fact keep Browne clean, then he has no shortage of weapons to take advantage of.  Tailbacks Justin Davis (902 yards, 7 TD) and Ronald Jones (987 yards, 8 TD) each nearly rushed for 1,000 yards last year, and figure to be leaned upon heavily moving forward, while JuJu Smith-Schuster was one of the most productive receivers in the country in 2015.  The Junior racked up racked up at least 100 receiving yards on six occasions in the first nine games last year, before tailing off a bit late, compiling a total of 1,454 yards and ten touchdowns.  On the opposite side of the ball, Helton will need to get a more cohesive campaign out of his defense, which at times was very porous last season.  USC struggled to contain the more wide-open offenses in the Pac-12, yielding an average of 400.4 total yards, including 149.3 yards on the ground, where opponents picked up 4.0 yards per carry.  Despite going 5-4 after replacing the much-maligned Steve Sarkisian, Helton shedding his interim tag was a surprise to many, particularly given his ties to the program’s Pete Carroll, whose glory days the current Athletic Department has tried to distance themselves from.  What better way to repay your current employers’ faith than going blow for blow with the mighty Crimson Tide, and proving that you still belong on the national stage?  Good luck, Clay, something tells us you’re going to need it…

Allen made the surprise decision to return to school, fresh off a season in which logged 14.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 12 sacks.

Meanwhile, Alabama is coming off yet another National Championship under Nick Saban, which would be the revered Head Coach’s fourth since arriving in Tuscaloosa back in 2007.  What he’s been able to do at one of the most historic schools in the sport has been nothing short of amazing; Saban has recorded a startling 105-18 record (.854 Win%), and remarkably has had the Tide ranked number one in the country in each of the past nine seasons.  Furthermore, if you include the National Title he split with (ironically) USC back in 2003, then he’s only one trophy behind Paul “Bear” Bryant for most in college football history.  Perhaps that old Hound’s Tooth hat is starting to shake a bit, for heading into the 2016 campaign, Saban doesn’t appear to be slowing down.  Sure they lost Heisman-winning Tailback Derrick Henry along with a whole host of talented players to the NFL Draft, and starting Quarterback Jacob Coker to Graduation, and not to mention respected Defensive Coordinator Kirby Smart to a Head Coaching position at Georgia, but ladies and gentlemen, is there anyone out there that seriously thinks that this team is running low on talent?  First and foremost, the defense should once again be one of the most formidable in the country; ‘Bama allowed just 15. points per game last year (3rd Overall) on just 276.3 total yards of offense, including a scant 75.7 on the ground, which is roughly half of what the Trojans permitted in 2016.  Returning for another year in the crimson uniforms are Linebackers Tim Williams (11.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks) and Reuben Foster (73 tackles, 8 for loss), Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (3 interceptions, 8 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles), and Defensive End Jonathan Allen (14.5 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 2 forced fumbles), who are all currently projected as First Round Picks (we know, it’s rather early for all of that).  Get ready to hear Mel Kiper Jr. talk about these kids a lot towards the end of the season.  On the offensive side of the ball there is far more turnover, which should force Offensive Coordinator Lane Kiffin to prove his mettle.  Kiffin, who of course has a wealth of history (both good and bad) with USC, has done a pretty solid job of rehabbing his coaching career as Saban’s Capo on offense.  He had a lot to do with the aforementioned Coker’s evolution from Second Stringer to National Champion, and is expected to do so with either Redshirt Junior Cooper Bateman (who briefly held the starting job a year ago) and Redshirt Freshman Blake Burnett, though True Frosh Jalen Hurts could factor into the equation at some point.  Like his counterpart tonight, Saban and Co. seem to be erring on the side of experience, which means Bateman will get the first opportunity to manage the offense, after attempting fifty-two passes in 2016.  Tailbacks Bo Scarbrough (104 yards, 1 TD) and Damien Harris (157 yards, 1 TD) will each get plenty of opportunities to fill Henry’s shoes, while Wide Receiver Calvin Ridley (1,045 yards, 7 TD) and Tight End OJ Howard (who had a tremendous Championship Game) figure to be playmakers in the passing game.  If Bateman indeed settles into that dreaded Game Manager role soon, there is no reason to think that Alabama won’t be in contention when the four semifinalists for the College Football Playoff are chosen in December.