Joel Klatt Announces Major College Football Program As Sleeper For 2024

The Pac-12 now has the Oregon State Beavers and Washington State Cougars as the only teams left in the conference heading into 2024. The USC Trojans, Washington Huskies, Oregon Ducks, UCLA Bruins, Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils, Colorado Buffaloes, Utah Utes, Stanford Cardinal, and California Golden Bears are all in new conferences.

Joel Klatt recently appeared on The Herd with Colin Cowherd to discuss the upcoming season. He even predicted that USC would be a "sleeper" in 2024.

"I think USC could be a sleeper team. I think it all hinges on that game against LSU, to be honest, in Vegas," Klatt said. "That game is so important for Lincoln Riley because now it seems like with the USC faithful that there's a bit of a wait-and-see. Let's wait and see how he's going to do without Caleb Williams."

The Trojans lost star quarterback Caleb Williams to the NFL Draft. He was the No. 1 overall pick by the Chicago Bears.

USC brought in former UNLV Rebels QB Jayden Maiava through the transfer portal. The Trojans also have Holiday Bowl standout Miller Moss on the roster. Moss had 372 passing yards and six touchdowns in that game.

One of the biggest problems that USC faced last season was its defense. After firing Alex Grinch last year, USC brought in former UCLA defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn. Under Lynn at UCLA, the Bruins had top-five Pac-12 rankings in points allowed, passing yards allowed, rushing yards allowed, and total yards allowed per game.

Stars like Zachariah Branch, Bear Alexander, and Jamil Muhammad are also returning to USC.

The Trojans face the LSU Tigers to kick off the 2024 season.

Related: David Pollack Names ‘Perfect Team’ To Join Big Ten In Conference Realignment