USC Football: What Counts As A Successful Season?

As the USC football season inches closer and closer to September 3rd’s huge opening game against Alabama, one question looms large. What will be the definition of success in 2016?

Sure, a trip to the College Football Playoffs would be nice for USC football in 2016, but how realistic is it?

If the Trojans were ranked in the AP Top 10, that would be nice too. But it’s ultimately not that important.

This season, unlike many in the past, seems to be more about building for the future and not necessarily about just wins and losses.

The big ship known as USC football has been way off course, and now is time to correct the navigation system and dial in the proper coordinates.

How did it get so far off course?

Well, the NCAA played a big role in what were ridiculous sanctions. Four years with reduced scholarships and two with no postseason games ensured the Trojans would struggle and be a vulnerable target for other Pac-12 teams.

This season seems to be more about building for the future, and not necessarily about just wins and losses.

How many big time college football coaches want to hitch their wagon to a school with reduced scholarships? Not surprisingly, few.

The results speak for themselves, as multiple bad hires went down, while TMZ set up shop on campus.

You might still remember a time when the USC football program was based on hard work, intelligence, character and winning.

How do you recreate all of that? First, hire Lynn Swann as your athletic director and your ship can slowly swing in the right direction.

You might think with all this recent turmoil, a winning season would be just that simple, more wins than losses. You’d be dead wrong because this is USC football and, even though it is at times inconvenient, there is a winning tradition here.

In fact, you have some of the most talented football players in the country who came here to win because that’s what they’re used to.

If you want that pipeline of elite athletes to keep coming you’d better keep winning. The bigger, the better.

So what would classify as a successful football season in 2016?

Start by beating rivals UCLA and Notre Dame. A ‘perfect day’ can happen any given week if UCLA or Notre Dame lose, but that’s not a perfect season.

The Pac-12 title and a trip to the Rose Bowl used to be common place and define a successful year. In fact, if you weren’t in the discussion for No. 1 in the land, then you weren’t having a really great year at the height of the Pete Carroll era.

SEE MORE: Is USC Due Trip to the Rose Bowl?

Yes, things have changed but they will also change again.

Last year, in spite of all the recent nonsense, USC did play in the Pac-12 Championship game. They didn’t win the game but you do have to get there first.

This year, a win in Santa Clara would be a big step in the right direction, and put the Trojans in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 2009.

Naturally, more is better. Less, that starts to become an issue.

Despite newly revealed legal trouble for Osa Masina, the 2016 offseason has been a quiet one. Less drama for the USC football team speaks volumes and is a direct reflection of a football program under new management.

This is what is called building a solid foundation for your football future.

Focus the coaches on the players, and then focus the players on playing football — USC football, to be exact.

More from Reign of Troy

Big offensive linemen opening holes for explosive running backs all afternoon long. An aggressive defense chasing down the back for a loss. Cue the Trojan Marching Band. You know the tune.

While it’s not Year 2 or Year 3 of a Pete Carroll run, the Trojans are also not pulling the coach off the stage at Salute to Troy or firing him on the tarmac either.

There is an uplifting feeling around USC. Some football games will be won and lost this year, but most importantly, the foundation being built is one fans should be proud of in the near future.

Every team regardless of their past achievements or failures starts the year 0-0. From here on out, the players and coaches will determine everything else.

Home/USC FOOTBALL NEWS