USC Football Schedule 2010 Starts for Embattled Trojans

USC football has been embattled all summer. Yet the USC football schedule 2010 must go on, although the USC football schedule will not count in the eyes of the BCS. Thanks to the various scandals that Pete Carroll and Reggie Bush left behind, the Trojans will not be a factor in the national title race. Of course, they weren't a factor last year, even when they were eligible to go to the postseason. However, the AP gave them a high No. 14 ranking anyway, and the USC football schedule 2010 started with the Trojans backing that up against Hawaii.

Lane Kiffin's first game as Trojans coach was not filled with too much defense. But the Trojans had just a little more of it than the Warriors did, prevailing in a 49-36 shootout. Matt Barkley threw three touchdowns to Ronald Johnson, who also had a punt return to go with it.

Even if the game ended badly, the USC football schedule 2010 couldn't have started at a better time. After one of the worst offseasons imaginable, the Trojans badly needed to get back onto the field. Now that they are back, Kiffin and company will now deal with an unparalleled season for USC football.

The Trojans are not eligible for the BCS title or the postseason, even if they go undefeated. But no one expected them to do that anyway, with a new controversial coach, and with a program already on a decline. But the USC football schedule 2010 could be an important one, nonetheless.

Although the Trojans can't win the Pac-10, they can influence who wins. They host Washington on October 2, visit Stanford on October 9, host Oregon on October 30, and go to Oregon State on November 20. If they win a few of those games, they can make the Pac-10 title chase that much more difficult for contenders.

However, if the USC football schedule 2010 ends with the Trojans topping the Pac-10, it would make a statement. The gold standard in recent years for teams on probation is the 1993 Auburn Tigers, who went undefeated and yet could not play in a bowl. Few expect the Trojans to do that, but if they win the Pac-10 again and rank high in the AP, it will be a big leap forward for Kiffin and the program.

For all his hype, Kiffin has not really been a big winner as a coach. Meanwhile, the Trojans have not been winning big themselves lately, which bottomed out with a disappointing 2009. USC football needs some kind of a boost to erase these dark times, and is facing long odds to do it soon.

Despite getting the first win in the Kiffin era, the Trojans still have a lot of work to do. The USC football schedule 2010 brings them back home to face Virginia on September 11, before visiting Minnesota on the 18'th. After that, the Trojans will begin the Pac-10 schedule, even if they can't officially win the conference again.

Sources

USC Trojans- "2010 USC Football Schedule"

Yahoo Sports- "No. 14 USC beats Hawaii 49-36 in Kiffin's debut"

Wall Street Journal- "USC's 2010 Debut: Lots of Points, Questions"