Preseason polls are nothing more than fodder for discussion as anticipation spikes with the college football season nearing.

But the Trojans slotting in No. 14 in the newly released USA Today Coaches Poll seems pretty fair.

The Trojans went 5-1 in their shortened season last year, surviving late deficits against Arizona State, Arizona and UCLA before ultimately falling to Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game. They were picked to win the Pac-12 South again, while the Ducks were voted the overall conference favorite by the league's media.

Get caught up on our preseason coverage of USC football here:

-Full USC fall camp preview, complete depth chart projection and more

-Podcast: Setting the stage for the start of fall camp with analyst Max Browne

-Reporter Roundtable: Insight and Analysis from the USC football beat writers

-Full report from Practice 1 of USC fall camp

-Full report from Practice 2 of USC fall camp

-Full report from Practice 3 of USC fall camp

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