USC is 14-point favorites Saturday against Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., and the Trojans will indeed be looking to make whatever statement they can in that game after needing an improbable comeback to escape with a win in their opener last week against Arizona State.

Trojans coach Clay Helton was asked on Thursday how he would value "style points" or margin of victory in a short season where every game is essential toward building a potential College Football Playoff case.

"When you get a total of seven games, yes, you want to see an upward trend, that's what every coach would like to see and you want to produce a resume that's as strong as humanly possible, so yeah, you'd love to be able to distance yourself," he said. "The No. 1 thing is to win, that's No. 1, finding ways to win, and No. 2, if you can win convincingly that always helps the resume."

This is as good an opportunity as any for the Trojans to try and do that. Arizona had its season opener vs. Utah cancelled, so there is no fresh tape to evaluate on the Wildcats, but they were a 4-win team last year, was picked to finish last in the Pac-12 South in the preseason media poll and finished 2019 ranked 120th nationally in total defense (allowing 471.4 yards per game) and 118th in scoring defense (35.8 points per game), while ranking 30th in total offense (440.1 YPG) and 77th in scoring (26.9 PPG).

New defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads is a fresh wrinkle to the matchup, but he faces a tall task Saturday.

As we do each week, we tackle the key storylines and give our predictions and perspective on the eve of the game, with guest panelist Adam Grosbard from the OC Register.

Ryan Young: Without question, the fears about the defense. There was a noticeable uptick in physicality and aggressiveness from the unit even if it was offset by some breakdowns along the way. As we said consistently over the last month, though, we would expect the best version of the defense to emerge as the season progresses. For the first game in a new system, the Trojans did enough last week in holding Arizona State under 400 yards. I will come down on my expectations for the linebackers a little bit. I think they'll be better than they were vs. ASU, but I'm not so convinced we'll see the true breakout I thought was likely for Palaie Gaoteote and Ralen Goforth, though it could still happen. But in general, I think going against a more traditional pocket passer in Grant Gunnell this week will make for a much easier task for the Trojans and that we'll start to see a truer identity of this defense with plenty of disruption in the backfield and a much better performance against the run in general.

Tajwar Khandaker: It’s far too early to start writing off Todd Orlando. His defense didn’t look good for much of the game, and many of its flaws seemed like the same ones that have plagued the unit for years; shoddy tackling, poor run fits and a lack of physicality. It’s certainly cause for concern. Even still, there was certainly some good to be found in the defense’s first outing as well; the pass rush looked more active than it had for most of last season, and the secondary play was promising. One way or another, it’s just too early to determine whether or not Orlando can turn things around. The nature of the offseason certainly didn’t help -- it will take a few more games before we can start making clearer judgements.

Adam Grosbard: I think any comparison of the tackling against Arizona State to tackling issues in recent seasons kind of misses the point. Remember all the way a century ago when this college football season began, teams all across the country struggled with tackling, way more than in any year with a typical offseason. It was ugly football, plain and simple. And while other conferences have smoothed out the rough edges, USC was over 300 days removed from its last meaningful football game. Of course there's going to be rust, especially with a new defensive scheme. If this issue lingers into the Utah game, then there's a problem.

Ryan: This would be a classic prisoner of the moment situation to choose anyone other than Amon-Ra St. Brown -- and he did still have 7 catches for 100 yards along with the presence of mind to tip the ball to Bru McCoy in the end zone for a pivotal touchdown last week. I've certainly vaulted my expectations for Drake London after all the talk in the preseason from the USC coaches and, of course, after seeing him dominate vs. ASU last week (8 catches for 125 yards and the game-winning TD). St. Brown is on every opposing defense's radar and gets prime attention in the game-planning. Perhaps London will start to command a little more respect in that way too moving forward. I expect the sophomore slot mismatch to have a huge season and I think it's even-odds as to whether he or St. Brown finish with the most receptions and yards, but I'll still give the nod to St. Brown as the "best" receiver on the team. And if that opinion changes at some point, it will have nothing to do with St. Brown and only to do with London continuing to prove his versatility and consistency.

Tajwar: As great as Drake London was last week, Amon-Ra St. Brown still holds that distinction. Early in the game, it seemed like Kedon Slovis was trying to force feed him, resulting in a number of unsuccessful targets. ASU focused their coverage on limiting St. Brown, and despite the good game Jack Jones played against him, the junior still finished with 100 receiving yards and 7 receptions. St. Brown is one of the most dynamic route runners in college football, and Slovis’ rapport with him will lead to plenty of opportunities for him to put up big numbers going forward. As the offense gets more in sync, I expect things to stabilize and for St. Brown to produce on a consistent basis as USC’s best receiver.

Adam: In terms of pure talent, Amon-Ra St. Brown. He's more experienced, more refined as a route runner and doesn't get lost in the flow of the game. But, if the question is, who does Kedon Slovis trust the most in the biggest moments, it's pretty clear that his favorite target is Drake London. This was the case even before London was the reliable presence he has become. Remember their third games as true freshmen, Slovis tried to throw a critical third down pass to London in overtime. The play turned out to be the decisive interception in that game, but it illustrated how much trust Slovis has in his fellow sophomore. So even if St. Brown is the "best" in terms of talent, I wouldn't be surprised to see London lead USC in receiving this season.