Trojans National Championship Odds and More USC Football News

Oddsmakers at SportsBettingDime.com set USC football’s odds to win the national title in 2016 at 45/1. Plus our daily Trojans news link round up.

Can’t get enough USC football and basketball news? We’ve got your morning dose of all the best content from around the web concerning the men of Troy.

1st & 10:

First Word… Call them a longshot. USC’s odds to win the national title in 2016, as set by SportsBettingDime.com, are 45/1.

That’s well behind the favorite Alabama, who got 6/1 odds. Or Stanford at 16/1 or Notre Dame at 18/1.

At the very least, it’s better than Oregon which enters the season at 45/1 and both Washington and UCLA who were set at 50/1.

Of course, none of that is a surprise. For once, the Trojans enter the season with expectations on the low end of the spectrum. The Cardinal were picked to win the Pac-12. The Bruins were picked to win the South division.

The oddsmakers agree with that assessment, setting 3/1 odds for Stanford to win the conference, followed by Washington at 7/2, UCLA at 4/1 and the Trojans and Ducks at 6/1.

USC is, in many senses, flying under the radar.

But there’s always this: With 18/1 odds to have the most first-round NFL Draft picks in 2017, fifth behind Alabama, Clemson, LSU and Ohio State, the Trojans have an undeniable talent-level which could help them exceed expectations.

And Ten USC Football and Basketball News Links…

1. “Max Browne Given Top Odds to Win USC Football Starting Job” (Reign of Troy)Want more odds? We’ve got you covered. Max Browne was given 3/5 odds to win the starting job over Sam Darnold at 5/3. Odds were also set for the QB battles at Alabama and Notre Dame.
2. “USC’s Friendly Quarterback Battle” (Annenberg Media)They might be competing for the top job, but Browne and Darnold are so inseparable, JuJu Smith-Schuster joked they should get married.
3. “Darnold is making USC’s quarterback decision difficult” (LA Times)Darnold has appreciated Helton’s honesty dealing with the quarterback battle this offseason. But he’s intent on winning the job now.
4. “USC Fall Camp: 5 Takeaways From Week 1” (Reign of Troy)What did we learn from the first week of camp? Cameron Smith and Toa Lobendahn are good to go, depth is fantastic, as are the running backs and tight ends. But there’s plenty of battles to be waged.
5. “Q&A with Lynn Swann: ‘It’s important to be a good caretaker'” (LA Times)One of Lynn Swann’s long-term goals as USC’s AD is to create a sports curriculum focused around preparing athletes for a career in the business of sport, including elements of business, marketing, finance, investment, etc.
6. “USC’s Ajene Harris talks position change” (FightOn247)Ajene Harris says he’s about 90 percent comfortable with his new position, with work still to do on his footwork and tackling at cornerback.
7. “USC LB Cam Smith takes important step toward full recovery” (ESPN)Smith felt great after getting his first taste of live action since tearing his ACL. But he wants more.
8. “In pads at the Coliseum . . . Just Sayin” (USCFootball.com)There were lots of penalties and some growing pains at the Coliseum on Monday.
9. “College Football’s Top 50 Running Back Units for 2016” (Athlon Sports)USC checks in at No. 9 among the top running back units going into this season, with Justin Davis and Ronald Jones leading the way.
10. “Every Top 25 College Football Team’s Toughest Game in 2016” (Bleacher Report)Surprise, surprise, USC’s toughest game is Alabama. But then, UCLA and Notre Dame’s toughest game is USC.

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