The 2015 season is over. The 2016 offseason is here. But as you well know, there is no offseason.
Here are five major plotlines to keep tabs on as we cycle through recruiting, offseason workouts and spring practice.
1. The Helton era: The Clay Helton era at USC didn't get off to a great start, with consecutive defeats in the Pac-12 championship game (against Stanford) and the National Funding Holiday Bowl (against Wisconsin), but Helton will be judged by what happens now that he controls all the levers of the Trojans program. That can't be said when taking over at midseason under unusual circumstances, as he did when Steve Sarkisian was fired in October.