Back in August, many USC fans would have thought a 3-2 start to be likely and logical, understandable if underwhelming.

But not this exact 3-2 start. No, this season has followed no expected script.

Slipping past Fresno State yet blowing out Stanford. Losing to BYU but not to Utah. Starting quarterback JT Daniels done after two quarters, backup Kedon Slovis sidelined a little more than two games later and veteran Matt Fink -- the least discussed QB on the roster in the preseason -- factoring prominently into two of the of biggest games on the schedule.

Yet, there is no concern for context these days among the Trojans' faithful, and it's a sympathetic stance. However it happened, it happened, and in a bottom-line business the bottom line is that USC is 8-9 since the start of the 2018 season.

Coach Clay Helton has earned his hot seat despite the unforeseen injury setbacks that have shaped the narrative of this season so far. His "So what, now what?" mantra was given to the team as a rallying cry against adversity, but it applies just as well to the vocal and visceral segment of the fan base not concerned with mitigating factors -- only mounting frustration over USC's sliding stature in college football.

That's the setup as the Trojans go on the road for likely their toughest test of the season on Saturday at No. 9/10 Notre Dame (4-1).

But first let's fill in the backdrop of this season to this point with five sets of thoughts after five games.

RELATED: Going deep into the PFF College grades and advanced data on USC's offense | What the PFF College data shows about USC's defense so far

1. WR Michael Pittman: The senior wideout is an All-American-caliber talent, though he may not get his full due unless USC's Air Raid attack can find a sustained identity moving forward. But to those paying attention, Pittman's value is unmatched for the Trojans. Case in point, USC's game plan with third-string QB Matt Fink taking over three plays into the Utah game was often to toss it up to Pittman and hope for the best, and he delivered with 10 catches for 232 yards and a touchdown in a defining performance. He ranks 14th nationally with 100.2 receiving yards per game with a team-high 35 receptions and 4 receiving touchdowns. Washington set out to neutralize Pittman in the last game and that might be a blueprint for future opponents -- it's on USC's coaches to work around that -- but the senior standout has delivered on lofty expectations.

T-2. DTs Marlon Tuipulotu and Jay Tufele: The work these two have done in tandem on the interior of USC's defensive line has been the most consistent strength on that side of the ball. Tuipulotu is a favorite of Trojans defensive line coach Chad Kauha'aha'a, and when watching the tape it's easy to see why. He eats up blocks at the nose tackle spot and sets a physical tone up front. Overall, he has 24 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, a sack, 2 pass breakups and a forced fumble from a posiiton that isn't always fully reflected in the stat sheet. And Tufele entered last weekend leading all Pac-12 interior DL with 12 QB pressures, according to PFF College. Officially, he has 19 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks for the seaosn. Together, they've provided a stout interior that USC simply hasn't capitalized on well enough -- opponents have compensated by successfully attacking the Trojans off the edge more -- but the two big bodies in the middle have played large so far this fall.

3. CB Olaijah Griffin: For all the concern about USC's young corners entering the season, the group has actually been relatively solid. Griffin has been a big part of that. While he missed the Washington game with a back injury, the sophomore has emerged as a trusted and now tested option on the outside, allowing just 5 catches for 80 yards on 16 targets, according to PFF College. He delivered suffocating coverage in the win over Stanford with 4 pass break-ups, including two pivotal PBUs against the Cardinal's much-larger tight end, and while he's bound to have some ups and downs this season Griffin's emergence has been one of the major positives for this team.

4. S Talanoa Hufanga: The ordering of this list may seem in conflict with the following statement, but Hufanga is emerging as USC's defensive MVP. He got off to a bit of an uneven start early in the season and he missed the Washington game with a concussion/shoulder injury, but he's proving to be everything many hoped for. On a team that has struggled with its tackling across the board, the sophomore safety is a shining exception with textbook form and consistency. Hufanga had a team-high 10 tackles and a TFL vs. Stanford, a team-best 10 tackles and a pass break-up vs. BYU and a team-high 14 tackles, 1.5 TFLs and a half-sack against Utah. Perhaps his value was even more clearly reflected in his absence vs. UW, though, as replacement Chase Williams whiffed on a tackle on the Huskies' pivotal 89-yard touchdown run.

5. DE Drake Jackson: The true freshman was the story of the spring as an eye-opening early enrollee. He continued building buzz in the preseason and he's now proving it was well-deserved. He has had some growing pains, sure, leaving some potential big plays unfinished in the backfield, but that only speaks to his further untapped potential as he nonetheless leads this team with 3 sacks and 5.5 TFLs so far. He also has 3 PBUs, showing savvy awareness to know when to abandon the pass rush and throw his arms up in passing lanes, and his safety against Utah QB Tyler Huntley was one of the biggest plays in the Trojans' biggest win so far..There's a reason Jackson's share of the snaps has increased each week leading to him playing the whole game at Washington two weekends ago.

**Honorable mention: LG Alijah Vera-Tucker, who has graded out the highest of USC's OL at 76.9 on the PFF College scale while performing very well in both pass-blocking (83.5 isolated grade) and run blocking (78.2). He's given up the fewest pressures on the team (3 QB hurries, no sacks) while drawing 2 penalties through five games.

1. Michael Pittman vs. Utah: As mentioned, Pittman was the most impactful player in USC's most impressive performance, catching 10 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown -- a 77-yard TD, that is -- in the 30-23 win over the then-No. 10 Utes. The most telling stat, though, is that he was on the receiving end of 10 of QB Matt Fink's 21 completions. That tells the story of that game. Pittman's 232 receiving yards are the fifth-best single-game total in program history, and afterward offensive coordinator Graham Harrell joked that some of those passes would have been bad decisions if not for the fact that they were thrown to Pittman, which thereby made them good decisions.

2. Kedon Slovis vs. Stanford: Thrust into the starting role just two games into his collegiate career, the true freshman QB played beyond his years in USC's 45-20 win over Stanford in Week 2. In fact, he was near perfect in completing 28 of 33 passes for 377 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. That earned Slovis Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors, proved Harrell's consistent praise for the under-the-radar prospect and raised the bar on expectations for the QB moving forward.

3. Matt Fink vs. Utah: The shine came off quickly for the third-string QB the next week with 3 costly interceptions in the loss at Washington, but he deserves his due for rising to the occasion when Slovis was concussed two plays into the Utah game. If USC loses that one, this season is in a more perilous place. Fink completed 21 of 30 passes for 351 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT off the bench. As noted, he took some chances and his WRs delivered for him, so there was some good fortune involved, but he got the job done while scripting a great story for himself (especially if he hadn't been asked to follow it up vs. UW).

4. Talanoa Hufanga vs. Utah: Helton, who can be prone to hyperbole at times, called it one of the best performances by a safety in his 10 years at USC. Whether it was a decade-defining performance or not, though, Hufanga's play vs. the Utes (14 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sack) showed why he is likely the most valuable player on the USC defense.

5. Stephen Carr vs. Fresno State: It has been a peaks-and-valleys kind of season for the junior running back, but his performance in the opener sparked hope that he might be able to rekindle the potential he flashed as a true freshman. Carr had 56 rushing yards and a TD on just 6 carries and also caught 6 passes for 43 yards and a score in that game while accounting for USC's first two touchdowns. And according to PFF Ccollege, he racked up 7 missed tackles in the process. Again, it hasn't been sustained -- he had negative rushing yards vs. Utah before bouncing back with a 60-yard run at Washington -- but Carr's season-opening performance was nonetheless a highlight.

Want to keep reading? Take advantage of our ongoing FREE TRIAL. Get premium access through Oct. 11 with no commitment. Stay on past the trial and we'll add two free months on top of a paid monthly subscription and six free months with an annual subscription.

--> New users sign up here (Use promo code USCFree)

--> Past subscribers can sign in and activate the free trial here (Use promo code USCFree)

1. Helton's hot seat

This is obviously the storyline that isn't going away. Many wonder what will happen if USC loses at Notre Dame to fall to 3-3. The Urban Meyer buzz and rumors mount by the week, and it was always understood that Helton needed to show not only improvement but deliver the kind of season that offers reassurance about the program's ability to compete nationally. That leaves little margin for error, and now that his chief supporter Lynn Swann has already been ousted as athletic director and change is afoot atop the athletic department, the speculation about Helton's status will remain a weekly narrative.