The media have spoken. The USC Trojans are the preseason favorites to win the Pac-12 North Division, the Pac-12 title game and play for the BCS national championship game.

If only it were that easy.

USC’s path to the division title may be clear, with only Utah expected to pose a major threat in the South, but the Oregon Ducks and Stanford Cardinal will have a major say in what happens in the greater conference picture. As for the BCS title game, there’s a little conference in the southeastern sector of the United States that has had a pretty good run of success in that season-ending game.

“The preseason No. 1 ranking and all the questions that we’ve gotten throughout the summer, that has nothing to do with how well we’ll play next year or whether we’ll win those games,” coach Lane Kiffin said at Pac-12 media day. “We do have a lot of issues. We have a very challenging schedule and we will have less players than everybody else we play so we will have to manage that.”

Here’s a look at USC’s top four issues with one tantalizing possibility thrown in.

1. Will Silas Redd solve USC’s depth and talent concerns at running back?
When Redd transferred Penn State this week, analysts who follow the program immediately penciled him in at No. 2 on the depth chart. It wasn’t hard. USC only has two returning tailbacks. Senior Curtis McNeal is No. 1 on the depth chart and rushed for 1,005 yards last season, but he's been limited by injuries. Redshirt sophomore D.J. Morgan carried only 42 times in 2011. As a result, Kiffin recently converted freshman receiver Nelson Agholor to running back. Kiffin is concerned defenses will focus on stopping USC’s potent passing game and dare the Trojans to beat them on the ground. It’s a legitimate fear. Kiffin hopes Redd’s power running can complement McNeal (5-7, 190).

2. Can this team defend well enough?
USC lost defensive end Devon Kennard to what appears to be a season-ending pectoral injury in preseason workouts. The Trojans have playmakers in the secondary and linebacking corps but they were already thin and inexperienced along the defensive line before Kennard went down, specifically at tackle where both starters from last season are gone. It all starts in the trenches. If USC can’t get to the quarterback or slow opposing rushing attacks up front, it won’t matter who they’ve got behind.

3. How much will USC’s scholarship limits affect depth?
This is the first year that the Trojans will have limits on scholarships due to NCAA sanctions from the Reggie Bush scandal. USC will lose 10 each in 2012, 2013 and 2014. That may not be as a great a factor this year as it will in coming years, unless the injury bug continues to plague USC as it already has with Kennard and tailback Tre Madden (season-ending knee surgery).

4. How will Matt Barkley handle the hype?
Barkley has been thrust front and center this season, not only for USC but for the conference. He is a Heisman Trophy candidate, he is the face of the program and he is the face of the conference, just like Andrew Luck was last season for Stanford. That’s a lot of pressure to manage as he attempts to navigate the Trojans back to their customary pedestal following an NCAA postseason ban.

5. Will USC boast the best receiving tandem in the country?
Robert Woods was an AP All-American last season when he led the Pac-12 in receiving with 1,292 yards and 15 touchdowns. Marqise Lee wasn’t far behind with 1,143 and 11 TDs. As we noted earlier, USC’s ability to run the ball will aid this tandem’s efforts greatly. So will the Trojans’ plan to throw to their tight ends more, but Woods and Lee are fully capable of carrying the load on their own -- and they'll look good doing it.  

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis from Pac-12 bloggers John Breech and Craig Morgan, follow @CBSSportsPac12 on Twitter