BURBANK, Calif. — A program like USC football always has big expectations, but perhaps they have never been bigger than this year where the 2015 Trojans are being treated like they could be the first true championship-caliber team since the program's dominant teams in the early and mid 2000s.
USC has been picked to win the Pac-12 in the preseason media poll and earned a No. 10 ranking in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Still, the first thing head coach Steve Sarkisian said in his opening statement at Pac-12 Media Day was his team needed to prove itself by putting its best foot forward every week.
"We all chose to come to USC to win," said Sarkisian, who is entering his second year as head coach. "I didn't come here to be okay or come here to be mediocre. We came here to win championships."
The Trojans are a popular pick to rise to the top of a stacked Pac-12 South division partially because of returning redshirt senior quarterback Cody Kessler, who threw for 3,826 yards and 39 touchdowns with only five interceptions and an impressive 69.7 percent completion percentage.
He said while the sanctions spurred by rules violations (committed by former USC running back Reggie Bush and Trojan basketball star O.J. Mayo, costing USC 30 scholarships over three years and resulting in a postseason ban in 2010 and 2011) were a challenge, it has made this year's team prepared for anything. The lessons learned by USC's now-established leaders from that period have even been passed down to the younger players.
"All the stuff (with the sanctions) that we went through even when I wasn't playing, it's been tough," Kessler said. "I feel like (this year's team) is prepared for anything, can handle anything that comes its way. I think that no matter what adversity happens—even in a good way like the predictions—these guys are going to keep the same mind and stay competitive."
Kessler said he is embracing the leadership role he inherited since he is a fifth-year senior, but is constantly working to improve. He's sought advice from Tim Tebow, who worked out at USC this summer, and looked up to NFL quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, whom he met as a college counselor at the Manning Passing Academy.
The Trojans have sported a lineage of great receivers throughout the past few years like Marqise Lee, Robert Woods and most recently Nelson Agholor. The next man in line could be sophomore JuJu Smith, who Kessler is mentoring, acknowledging that he often tells Smith to focus on being his own player.
But even with its experienced quarterback and young weapons, Sarkisian said the Trojans are a run-first offense, noting he has had a 1,000-yard rusher in every one of his six years as a head coach.
Junior outside linebacker Su'a Cravens said the Trojans won't dwell on the past, whether it be forgetting about previous losses to rival UCLA or not referencing the dominant USC teams of old.
"We are our own team," he said. "We want to keep the competitive culture that's always been at USC. The sanctions allowed guys to come in and play right away because we needed them to, but now we're getting our numbers back and that competition attitude. If you're the best at a position, you're going to play."
Sarkisian said the team is fortunate to have the experienced leaders, but the coaching staff is focused on bridging the gap by developing the younger players in hopes of jumpstarting the program to future success too.
Although this year's team wants to leave its own legacy, it may have some similar characteristics to USC teams when Sarkisian was an offensive assistant for the Trojans.
"We can talk about Reggie (Bush) and (Matt) Leinart and all those guys," Sarkisian said. "You know what made them great? They worked really, really hard. I think this year's team has a great work ethic about them that I'm very appreciative of."
Reach the reporter at Justin.Toscano@asu.edu or on Twitter @justintoscano3
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