2020 USC
5–1 (5–0 Pac-12), coached by Clay Helton, finished No. 21 in the AP poll. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Washington State 38–13Dec 6
By 25 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Arizona 34–30Nov 14
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7 | vs Arizona State | W 28–27 | 62% |
| Nov 14 | at Arizona | W 34–30 | 62% |
| Nov 21 | at Utah | W 33–17 | 40% |
| Dec 6 | vs Washington State | W 38–13 | 70% |
| Dec 12 | at UCLA | W 43–38 | 59% |
| Dec 18 | vs OregonPac-12 Championship Game | L 24–31 | 59% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Oregon 31–24 in the Pac-12 Championship Game; No. 21 in the final AP poll; first in the Pac-12.
In program history: The 60th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 112 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 1: 17
- Wk 7: 25
- Wk 8: 24
- Wk 9: 21
- Wk 10: 20
- Wk 11: 20
- Wk 12: 20
- Wk 13: 19
- Wk 14: 17
- Wk 15: 16
- Wk 16: 13
- Final: 21
Pac-12 South champions5–0 in the conference
- Record
- 5–1
- Conference
- 5–0 first in Pac-12
- AP final
- No. 21 peak No. 13
- Points
- 200–156
- Coach
- Clay Helton
- Elo
- 1634 +59 this season
- SP+ rating
- 12.4 No. 22 of 130; offense No. 12, defense No. 45
- Returning
- 83% of last season’s EPA, No. 21 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 55 roster talent No. 10 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Graham Harrell
- Defensive coordinator
- Todd Orlando
- Captains
- Kedon Slovis, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Alijah Vera-Tucker and Isaiah Pola-Mao
- Offense
- Air raid
- Defense
- 3–3–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.11 | 45% | 1.22 | 61st of 127 |
| Defense | 0.01 | 41% | 1.25 | 23rd of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.12 off 0.06 def | 44% off 41% def | — | 55th off 34th def |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.9 | own 35 | 17% allowed |
| Defense | 3.8 | own 25 | 17% caused |
CORE rating 8.9, 30th of 127 (offense 2.2, defense -6.7).
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.
Leaders
| Passing yards | Kedon Slovis QB | 1,921 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Kedon Slovis QB | 17 TD |
| Rushing yards | Vavae Malepeai RB | 238 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Markese Stepp RB | 3 TD |
| Receiving yards | Drake London WR | 502 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Amon-Ra St. Brown WR | 7 TD |
| Tackles | Talanoa Hufanga S | 62 tkl |
| Sacks | Nickolas Figueroa DL | 4 sacks |
| Interceptions | Talanoa Hufanga S | 4 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Gary Bryant Jr. WR | ★★★★ | No. 46 |
| Jonah Monheim OG | ★★★★ | No. 347 |
| Tuli Tuipulotu DT | ★★★★ | No. 381 |
| Joshua Jackson Jr. WR | ★★★ | No. 430 |
| Jamar Sekona DT | ★★★ | No. 486 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Receivers | 3 | 3.3 | 0.888 |
| Offensive line | 6 | 3.2 | 0.865 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.3 | 0.884 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.800 |
| Athletes and specialists | 2 | 3.0 | 0.837 |
| Whole class | 15 | 3.2 | 0.865 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2021
The 2021 draft| Rd 1 | Alijah Vera-Tucker OG | New York Jets |
| Rd 4 | Jay Tufele DT | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Rd 4 | Amon-Ra St. Brown WR | Detroit Lions |
| Rd 5 | Talanoa Hufanga S | San Francisco 49ers |
| Rd 6 | Marlon Tuipulotu DT | Philadelphia Eagles |
Roster 131
The 2020 roster131 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 48 have a stat line. See the roster
2020 Pac-12 standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 USC | 5–0 | 5–1 | 21 |
 Washington | 3–1 | 3–1 | |
 Colorado | 3–1 | 4–2 | |
 Stanford | 4–2 | 4–2 | |
| Utah | 3–2 | 3–2 | |
| Oregon | 3–2 | 4–3 | |
| Arizona State | 2–2 | 2–2 | |
| UCLA | 3–4 | 3–4 | |
 Oregon State | 2–5 | 2–5 | |
| Washington State | 1–3 | 1–3 | |
 California | 1–3 | 1–3 | |
| Arizona | 0–5 | 0–5 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.