USC Football Roundup: What is the most important game in 2018? (6/15)

What is the most important game in 2018? Who is the Trojans’ new support staff hire? Here’s the USC football roundup for June 15.

The folks over at ESPN.com selected the most important game for each Top 25 team this week, pitching UCLA as USC’s pivotal matchup.

“Chip Kelly and Clay Helton for the city of Los Angeles!” the game is billed by Edward Aschoff.

It’s easy to see his point. The Crosstown Showdown could have major implications both in the race for the Pac-12 South and the fate of both programs going forward.

But, with all due respect, it’s not the most important game of the season. Not yet anyway.

That distinction should go to USC’s September trip to Arizona to face another new hire, Kevin Sumlin and Arizona.

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No offense to UCLA, but the Bruins don’t have a potential Heisman candidate on their roster. Arizona does in Khalil Tate, who showed off his dangerous ability in 2017 with 198 yards on the ground and three scores against the Trojans at the Coliseum.

In Week 5, the Trojans will travel to Tucson after a grueling start to the season featuring back-to-back road trips to Stanford and Texas then a Friday night tilt with Washington State.

A similar stretch to start 2017 ended in disappointment in Pullman. If the same happens in 2018, the Trojans could be seriously behind the eight ball in the Pac-12 South. The winner of that game will be in the driver’s seat in the division.

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Sumlin has thrived in Year 1 just about everywhere he’s coached, especially with a special talent at quarterback at his disposal. It’s reasonable to expect a major challenge from the Wildcats in the desert.

Yes, USC vs. UCLA will bring juicy storylines to the table, but it could be irrelevant in the Trojans conference title defense if they don’t first deal with the Wildcats.

Player personnel spot filled

USC filled the Assistant Director of Player Personnel spot left vacant by Alex Collins this spring, tapping Trey Johnson for the role.

Chris Trevino of USCFootball.com details Johnson’s past which includes a stint most recently at Liberty and Tennessee before that.

Strongest schedules status

Kyle Kensing of Athlon Sports ranked the nation’s top schedules for 2018, putting the Trojans at No. 17.

That’s a bit lower than other schedule rankings from this offseason, but USC does miss out on Oregon and Washington, so the Pac-12 slate isn’t as daunting on paper as it could look.

Biggest recruiting misses

What are the three (or four) biggest recruiting misses for USC this century? Ryan Abraham of USCFootball.com asked and answered the question, pointing to major local whiffs like De’Anthony Thomas and DeSean Jackson while also lamenting the loss of a couple out-of-state talents.

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Hypotheticals can only get you so far with that question, but it is pretty eye-opening to think of the devastating misses USC has had considering how much overall success in recruiting there’s been in the past two decades.

Today’s Trojan Trivia

Wide receiver Kevin Williams caught 71 passes during his career from 1977 to 1980. Of those, 25 were touchdowns. That’s the highest percentage of receptions for touchdowns in USC history at 35.2 percent.

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Include just regular season catches and Williams’ 24 touchdowns on 68 catches, for a rate of 35.3 percent, is an NCAA record.