TrojanSports Roundtable: Staff perspective and predictions for USC-Stanford

The Trojans and Stanford have been playing against each other on the football field since 1905, making the Cardinal officially USC's oldest rival. After Saturday, there's no telling when they will ever meet again.

Such is the reality of college football starting next season, when the Trojans will share a conference with Maryland and Rutgers while the Cardinal get to know new league mates like Florida State and Boston College.

But this isn't a column on college football realignment -- there are plenty of those available. Just a table-setter for the Trojans' Pac-12 opener Saturday night vs. Stanford in the Coliseum (7:30 p.m. PT on FOX).

"I love rivalry games, I always have. I’ve been lucky to be in some great ones at all the schools I’ve been able to coach at. They’re great memories. The kids, the coaches, the fans, everybody looks forward to it, so much history and tradition behind them. Like, I love it. I think it’s one of the best things. That’s not lost on us certainly here is the history of this one and the potential significance of – there’s obviously a chance it could be the last one for a little bit of time," USC coach Lincoln Riley said.

"Although, who all knows, this will probably blow up and change again in two years anyway and we’ll be back at it. But yeah, I think the significance is certainly there and we’ve talked about that with our guys. We’re not shy about it. ... This one in particular, yeah, because of the history and the significance of the timing right now, we do want to make sure our guys understand the opportunity here they have."

Ultimately, the opportunity the No. 6-ranked Trojans (2-0) have is the same every week -- take another step toward what could potentially be a truly special season for the program.

That's what is really at stake. A better barometer for the Trojans' rebuilt defense, a stiffer challenge for an offensive line with plenty still to prove, another spotlight for the depth at linebacker, etc.

USC has obliterated two Group of 5 opponents to start the season -- 56-28 over San Jose State and 66-4 over Nevada -- and this particular Stanford team may not be substantially better than a good Group of 5 team as it begins its rebuild under new head coach Troy Taylor.

But the Cardinal did beat Hawaii in their opener, have a mobile quarterback in sophomore Ashton Daniels, an elite tight end in senior Benjamin Yurosek and one of the best pass rushers in the conference in sophomore David Bailey.

So there will be more to learn about the Trojans this week, valuable game film to evaluate heading into the bye week before the grueling stretch of nine straight games to close out the regular season

With that said, here is the weekly TrojanSports.com Roundtable, as our staff delivers our perspective and predictions for gameday.

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1. With two games of evenly spread out passing targets, let's take a fresh look at USC's deepest position group -- who finishes as the Trojans' leading receiver this season?

Ryan Young: "What I'm not going to do is overreact to two early-season games against lesser competition, when the coaching staff had every incentive to get as many people involved and play as many freshmen as possible. I'll stick with my preseason pick of Dorian Singer. Caleb Williams and Lincoln Riley fed the outside receivers last year, whether it was Jordan Addison, Brenden Rice, Kyle Ford when he filled in, etc. I think Singer is a special talent who will have ample opportunity to pile up stats moving forward, but I don't think there will be any clear separation on the stat sheet. I expect Singer, Mario Williams, Tahj Washington, Brenden Rice and Zachariah Branch to all end up somewhere between 500 and 850 receiving yards. So this isn't a supremely confident prediction -- I just don't see any reason yet to waver from my preseason pick."

Tajwar Khandaker: "Though the target and yardage shares over the first two weeks don’t reflect it, I also remain convinced that Dorian Singer will take over as the Trojans’ No. 1 receiver both statistically and by the eye test before the year is over. Singer’s skill set as a separator and the trust engendered by the remarkable consistency of his hands make him the kind of reliable playmaker you want to target as often as possible. Though USC hasn’t needed to go to him much as the offense has experimented its way through the first two games of the season, what Singer has shown in his limited opportunities has reflected his ability to be a consistent chain-mover. He might end up behind a few more explosive guys in his yards-per-catch average, but the pure number of targets I expect him to receive and his subsequent success rate should allow him to lead the Trojans in most receiving categories. As an honorable mention, I do think Tahj Washington deserves consideration as well thanks to his consistency, ability to win at all levels of the field and athletic dynamism. As a veteran with a strong grasp of his role in this offense, I believe Washington is definitely capable of posting big numbers on a routine basis if the ball gets funneled his way more consistently."

Jeff McCulloch: "Two games in, USC has made it very hard to figure out who the top guy is going to be. Right now, its Tahj Washington with 160 yards, with Duce Robinson right behind him with 115 yards. I don’t think that will be the case at the end of the year. I agree that once USC starts playing tougher teams, Dorian Singer will separate himself from the pack. He already seems to be Caleb Williams' trusted go-to whenever he has to scramble out and is in desperation mode. That chemistry is only going to build up from here and I bet Lincoln will start to feature him once they start playing the top teams in this conference. Right now, he is working on getting everyone into college football mode and making sure everyone is ready when their number is called."

2. How concerned should USC be by the offensive line?

Tajwar: "For now, only mildly. The play up front has certainly not been perfect despite the limited competition the unit has faced, but the extent of good play should provide optimism for increased consistency going forward, especially as the starting group solidifies more clearly. Continuity means more on the offensive line than it does anywhere else on the football field, and as such it's very reasonable to expect some of the minor technical lapses and penalty issues we’ve seen so far to diminish as the group up front stabilizes. The presence of so many experienced veterans on the line (even if a number of them are newcomers) bodes well for their potential to eventually get on the same page and execute in consistent fashion. Though the injury to Gino Quinones does create more pressing questions about depth, what we’ve seen from some of the Trojans' rotation players and freshmen on the line should provide some optimism that this group can withstand collapse even if a key guy or two goes down. Either way, it’s too early to start worrying when not that much has gone poorly for the group up front. We’ll get a better sense of what to make of them once we see a solidified starting group play sustained, continuous snaps."

Ryan: "On the scale of mild to habenero, I'm closer to mild as well but maybe a little more uncertain than you. There is almost no experienced depth at guard now with Quinones out, and the Trojans have seemed less than convinced on Emmanuel Pregnon so far at the left guard spot. It's now up to he and freshman Alani Noa to man that position. I still wouldn't be surprised at some point to see Mason Murphy perhaps move inside as another option there if Michael Tarquin is able to lockdown the right tackle spot. I don't know, concerned might not be the right word -- but anxious definitely suits. We don't have a true gauge on this unit yet and may not until the competition on the schedule really rachets up."

Jeff: "There certainly is some reason to be concerned, no doubt. Gino Quinones was going to be a big factor this season whether as a full-time starter or the sixth guy in the rotation. With him going down for the year, the interior becomes more of a problem than it already was. Relying on a struggling Jarrett Kingston, an inexperience Emmanuel Pregnon and a true freshman Alani Noa is not a position the team wants to be in. Quinones was going to at least provide some further stability there. He might not be the most talented of the group but his floor was the highest. If Kingston continues to struggle and Pregnon doesn’t develop as they hope, they need to consider moving Monheim inside. Michael Tarquin has been as steady as it goes at the right tackle position and Mason Murphy, albeit in limited snaps, has shown he can be a starting-caliber tackle. Moving your best lineman in Monheim inside, a more natural position for him, would be best, especially against the more talented teams. An offensive line of Tarquin at left tackle, Monheim at left guard, Justin Dedich at center, Kingston/Pregnon at right guard and Murphy at right tackle is the best grouping you will get, in my opinion."

3. What offensive storyline intrigues you most?

Jeff: "Like I said above, the offensive line needs to get situated. USC can't afford to keep shuffling that group. Someone needs to either step up or Josh Henson needs to step up and make the decision. I believe, if they don’t think moving Monheim inside is the best option, than whoever performs the best inside this Saturday will win the job. Stanford is a step up talent-wise, and they will need to see who rises to the occasion and “throws a knockout punch," as Henson requested last week.

Tajwar: "I’m curious to find out how the distribution of passing game targets plays out this game. In the past few contests, we’ve seen a sprinkling of attempts directed at a whole plethora of players up and down the roster, with no standout players receiving a higher share on a consistent basis. Though the Trojans will undoubtedly seek to spread the ball around amongst their talented group of pass-catchers over the course of the year, I’m inclined to believe the team will want to find a core hierarchy of a few guys to lean on, particularly for the more challenging contests down the stretch. As conference play begins, it might be telling to see if the coaching staff starts to steer more snaps and targets towards certain guys."

Ryan: "I agree with both of those, but I'll turn the spotlight on running back MarShawn Lloyd. I think last week was just a tease of what he's going to do this season -- as he turned 7 carries into 76 yards and a TD and 2 passing targets into 59 yards. The Trojans didn't need any more from him last week, but when he gets a full share of touches I think he's going to produce some huge performances this fall."

4. What's the most compelling defensive storyline Saturday?

Jeff: "Probably the secondary. The cornerback room has been solid, not great. The Trojans still need to figure out what to do with Christian Roland-Wallace. I think they expected Roland-Wallace to win the nickel job from Jaylin Smith, but Smith has been one of the bright spots on this defense so they can’t take him out of the starting rotation. Roland-Wallace is an extremely talented corner who will be itching to take snaps away from either Domani Jackson or Ceyair Wright. This is a pretty good problem for the Trojans to have. That depth is going to be important toward the end of the year."

Tajwar: "I also want to see how the secondary reacts to a Stanford passing attack that looked fairly sharp in Week 1, particularly given the number of big plays the Trojans have given up in the two preceding contests. Though the Trojan defensive backs haven’t necessary allowed a lot of balls to get past them, far too many of the passes they have given up have gone for big plays and touchdowns. Facing a pass-heavy opponent working with Power 5 talent, it’ll be worth trying to gauge whether the secondary just needed to tighten some screws or if there are some persistent problems at play here that will create questions over the course of the season. Outside of free safety Calen Bullock, all other members of the starting secondary group have had their share of rough moments; getting cleaner performances out of them will undoubtedly be an emphasis for the coaching staff going into this matchup against Troy Taylor’s offense.

Ryan: "The pass rush! Stanford didn't allow a sack in its opener last week vs. Hawaii, but it did allow a whopping 16 QB pressures. The Cardinal return two starters on the offensive line and are pretty much brand new otherwise there. It seems like a prime opportunity for USC's bevy of pass rushers to feast. The Trojans had 5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss a week ago and I expect them to have that kind of production again. Look for Bear Alexander to finally get rewarded for all the havoc he's caused in the middle so far and for the edge rushers to have a big game."

5. What's your score prediction?

Ryan: "USC, 47-24. I think the offense will do its thing without many hiccups and for the defense to play mostly solid but give up a few too many third-and-long conversions (per usual) to a mobile QB and elite TE and a late touchdown to pad the score for Stanford."

Jeff: "USC, 56-20. Yes, Stanford is a better opponent than San Jose State and Nevada, but it is not better enough to make an impact. Caleb Williams should be able to continue his push toward the second Heisman and this defensive line really shows out. Jamil Muhammad and Bear Alexander will continue being bright spots on this defense. Maybe this is the game Domani Jackson gets his pick. If he can get a pick in this game, expect Jackson’s confidence to shoot through the roof."

Tajwar: "USC, 55-14. Much like the two opponents before them, Stanford simply doesn’t have the talent on defense necessary to prevent the avalanche of points Caleb Williams and the Trojan offense threaten to bring every week. David Bailey is a legitimate force off the edge, but on the whole, the Cardinal just can’t match up with the Trojans on that side of the ball. Though the Stanford passing game might be livelier than expected, the offensive line doesn’t appear to be strong enough to really give Ashton Daniels a chance to put together the kind of passing performance he managed last week. We can comfortably state at this point that the USC defensive line is considerably more imposing than that of Hawaii, and what we’ve seen from the Trojans front in the early going gives good reason to expect continued improvement there moving forward. Though Stanford might be a better team than either of USC’s first two opponents, I don’t think the trajectory of this game will go particularly different from what we’ve been seeing."