If they aren’t doing so already, Pac-12 South Division football teams may be looking in the rearview mirror at the missed opportunity that was the 2011 season.

Every team, that is, except USC.

While the Trojans were serving the final year of their postseason ban – fallout from the Reggie Bush, improper benefits scandal – Arizona State, UCLA, Arizona, Utah and Colorado had a chance to grab some rare national attention and momentum by earning a berth in the newly expanded conference’s inaugural title game. Instead, they took turns tripping over their own feet in the rush to fill the USC void.

Preseason favorite ASU started the season 6-2 and had a chance to wrap up a title game berth with a win at UCLA, but kicker Alex Garoutte missed all three of his field goals attempts, including one as time expired, and the Sun Devils dropped their final five games to necessitate coach Dennis Erickson’s firing.

UCLA eventually earned the title-game shot opposite Oregon, but it was by default. The Bruins finished the season 6-8 and coach Rick Neuheisel was fired before the title game was played.

Meanwhile, USC just kept picking up steam. The Trojans won seven of their final eight games and beat Rose Bowl champ Oregon at Autzen Stadium. And while much of the conference was decimated by losses at quarterback (Stanford’s Andrew Luck, Oregon’s Darron Thomas, ASU’s Brock Osweiler and Arizona’s Nick Foles are all gone), USC quarterback Matt Barkley opted to return for his senior season.

"I am staying so I can finish what I started," said Barkley, who threw for 3,528 yards, a Pac-12 record 39 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 69.1 percent of passes.

Barkley’s presence alone makes USC the favorite in another weak edition of the Pac-12 South where Utah looks to be the toughest challenger. But the Trojans also return 19 starters include talented receivers Robert Woods, Marqise Lee, All-America free safety T.J. McDonald and junior playmaking cornerback Nickell Robey.

Maybe that’s why we’re seeing a kinder, gentler coach Lane Kiffin. Life is easy when you have an embarrassment of riches.

The Trojans won’t be without their challenges. The Bush scandal also cost the program 30 scholarships over three years (2011 to '13), meaning depth will become an increasingly important issue over the next few seasons.

But the schedule is favorable, the remaining players are hungry and expectations are back to normal inside the program and in Las Vegas. It would be a fitting end to this eight-year odyssey if USC returns to and captures the BCS National Championship Game. The Trojans were stripped of their 2004 title, leaving the Pac-12 as the only major conference without a BCS title. It’s their job to make amends.