Zach Banner Talks USC vs. Alabama Game (Video)

September 3rd’s USC vs. Alabama battle at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex. is going to be quite the spectacle. Trojan offensive lineman Zach Banner talked about it at Pac-12 Media Days.

“At SC, when we have non-conference games. we want to schedule the best,” Banner said of Alabama. “We are one of the best programs in America, we have a great staff, we have a great team and we want to represent well by playing high class teams.”

Alabama certainly fits that bill, as winners of four of the last seven national titles, and the closest thing to a dominant dynasty in college football since USC’s run during the middle of the Pete Carroll era.

All that hype also works as a focusing mechanism for the Trojans.

“The game against Alabama is a great Week 1 start,” Banner said. “It’s probably going to be the game of the week in terms of everybody watching. But for us, it’s going to be our first and most important game. And then the next game against Utah State and so on and so on.”

More from Reign of Troy

The Tide will undoubtedbly be the Trojans’ most difficult game on the schedule, but a September that features Pac-12 contenders Stanford and Utah is just as pivotal for USC going forward.

USC is just 2-5 all-time against Alabama, but have the series’ most iconic wins.

SEE ALSO: Look Back at the USC-Bama Series

That includes the famed Sam Cunningham game in 1970, when the Trojans’ all-black backfield routed the Tide in Birmingham, prompting change in the way Bear Bryant and his program recruited players.

This year’s Week 1 showdown will be live and in color in primetime on ABC, kicking off at 5:00 p.m. PT and 7:00 p.m. local time in Dallas.

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