LOS ANGELES -- Friday at USC began with the inauguration of president Carol Folt, tasked to clean up a university shamed by scandal.
"Today," Folt told the crowd, "we're turning a page at USC."
Late afternoon brought Reggie's Return. Reggie Bush was back at the Los Angeles Coliseum for the first time since 2010, when the NCAA ordered the Trojans to permanently dissociate themselves from their former superstar as a result of improper benefits he received while at school. The visit was greenlighted only because he's working for FS1.
Bush and Matt Leinart, his former USC co-star and current Fox teammate, smiled at a fan holding up a "Leinart-Bush '04" T-shirt. Meanwhile, a small group of fans focused on another analyst, Urban Meyer, chanting "Hire Urban!" This spring, Bush told the Los Angeles Times that if USC struggled, he and Leinart wouldn't hesitate to recruit Meyer to lead the Trojans in 2020.
The mix of USC's past, present and possible future created a strange vibe around the team and its coach, Clay Helton, entering Friday game against No. 10 Utah. Helton began the season occupying the hottest of seats, and USC's first three weeks featured plenty of drama: a season-ending injury to quarterback JT Daniels, a blowout win over Stanford behind freshman QB Kedon Slovis, the long-rumored ouster of athletic director Lynn Swann, and a sloppy, familiar-looking loss at BYU. Many think Helton's exit is inevitable, especially with Meyer available and possibly willing to step in.
But Friday night ended with Helton leaving the field a winner, acknowledging Meyer on the FS1 set as Meyer mouthed, "Good job." A 30-23 win, behind third-string quarterback Matt Fink, puts USC in excellent position to challenge for the Pac-12 South title.
"This team is special and by the end of this season they are going to be a special product, you watch," Helton said. "We need to stay healthy, but this team could do some really special things. They did it tonight."
No one would debate Helton, but questions remain. What will it take for USC to sustain momentum through a difficult stretch? What are the university's next moves under Folt? What will it take for Helton to remain in the plans for 2020 and beyond?
After a wild first four games, here's a closer look at the never-boring No. 21 USC Trojans.