The USC football program is coming off its first losing season in 18 years, putting a wealth of pressure on head coach Clay Helton.
He and athletic director Lynn Swann have made it clear that championships and a Notre Dame-like turnaround is the benchmark following last year’s 5-7 record. But what if the Trojans aren’t able to get there?
The team faces one of the most difficult schedules in the nation, featuring a six-game gauntlet of losable games to start. Could yet another midseason firing be in the cards? Of course. This is USC, after all.
The actual threshold for getting there?