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Why USC Should Be Early Favorite to Win 2017-18 National Championship

The confetti has just been vacuumed up from the floor of Raymond James Stadium, space is being cleared at Clemson for the College Football Playoff National Championship trophy and the doldrums of the offseason are staring all of us squarely in the face.

So let's talk about 2017, shall we?

It's never too early to start looking ahead, and the team we all should be talking about is USC, and how the Trojans—who finished third in the final Associated Press Top 25—are on the doorstep of rekindling their glory days.

They finished the season on a nine-game winning streak and have a Heisman Trophy contender at quarterback in rising redshirt sophomore Sam Darnold, and head coach Clay Helton capped his first full season at the helm with a 52-49 win over Penn State in a Rose Bowl for the ages.