The Audible: Sarkisian vs. Kiffin, star freshmen and more USC talk

Published Aug. 25, 2014 12:00 p.m. ET

foxsports

When USC hired Steve Sarkisian last offseason, the news was met with a general shrug.

There was a group of USC fans excited about the idea of Sark coming home, but across the nation it was viewed as an underwhelming hire for one of college football's best jobs.

As the 2014 season is set to kick off, the tone -- at least around Los Angeles -- has changed quite a bit as Sarkisian has the Trojan fan base energized and looking towards the future with great hope.

Ryan Abraham, a USC beat writer and the man behind USCFootball.com, joined Bruce Feldman on The Audible recently to take the Trojans' temperature and see if they have the look of a Pac-12 title contender.

Among the topics covered:

* The initial perception that Sarkisian was "Lane Kiffin 2.0" and how that's changed.

* Adoree' Jackson, JuJu Smith and other newcomers who could become stars this season.

* Top DL prospect Leonard Williams and the makings of an impressive defense.

To listen to the podcast, click on the player below. You can get every episode of The Audible delivered to you by subscribing to the show on iTunes.