This time last year, USC fans did not know what to expect. They had a head coach who was going into his first full season at the helm of a college program, the quarterback battle was still undecided, the loss of Kenny Bigelow left many questions on the defensive line, and the Trojans would face then reigning national champion Alabama in the opening week.
At first, it seemed like Trojan fans were living in a nightmare. The season got off with to a 1-3 start will losses to Alabama, Stanford, and Utah. Captain Max Browne had been benched in favor of Sam Darnold, but even that had not been enough to beat the Utes in Salt Lake City.