LOS ANGELES -- We are told by many cardinal and gold aficionados that the 2015 USC Trojans offense will be as explosive as any in recent memory, and that the only way to stop a Steve Sarkisian's monstrosity of points machine would be to line up the Seattle Seahawks defense as a buffer.

Certainly questions about the Trojans 2015 offense will come up at some point during Friday morning's Pac-12 Media Day at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, and the interrogators of Trojans head coach Steve Sarkisian and quarterback Cody Kessler hope to get some unfiltered, preseason answers.

Checking last season's tote board of numbers, one sees that the Trojans offense was held under 20 points just once, and that was at Stanford in a defensive slugfest that the Trojans survived 13-10. The Trojans 2014 offense scored 50 or more points twice, 40-49 points three times, 30-38 points four times, and 20-28 points three times. Strictly on average, last season's offense averaged 35.8 points per outing.

The numbers looked good for the most part in 2014, but how will they translate into the 2015 season?

Before one leaves the remnants of 2014, it's worth looking at the Trojans opponents and exactly who the Men of Troy piled up their points against. In a 52-13 destruction in last season's opener against Fresno State in the Coliseum, it was more or less a repeat from the season before in the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl when the Men of Troy downed the Bulldogs, 45-20, who were led by future NFL quarterback draft pick Derek Carr.

Another 50-club victim in 2014 was Pac-12 South rival Colorado, a program still trying to climb out of the Pac-12 South basement. The 56-28 win was a cardinal and gold celebration, but it was against an inferior opponent.

If you are looking strictly for marquee wins in 2014, one could point to the brand names of Notre Dame and Nebraska, but those programs at the end of the season had more issues than a troubled teenager. In the 49-14 win over the Irish in L.A., the sons of Knute Rockne had a defense that had more holes than Swiss cheese and in the 45-42 victory over Nebraska, the Cornhuskers were trying to survive coaching disarray but still made it interesting in the Holiday Bowl.

The basic comment in any season by a coach is a win is a win and let's move on to the next one. Although the Trojans seemed to score at ease against lesser talented teams, in the so-called “big games,” the Cardinal and Gold couldn't seem to find a rhythm or have you forgotten the away losses at Utah (24-21) and UCLA (38-20), both critical Pac-12 South Division games.

With the Trojans 2015 training camp set for Saturday, Aug. 8, the Trojans offense welcomes the return of senior quarterback Cody Kessler, a three-year starter and legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, who must also prove beyond throwing for impressive numbers against out-manned opponents that he can solidify the hype by beating teams with like-wise talent such as UCLA.

Kessler, who threw 39 touchdowns last season, is a good foundation for any offense, but the excitement should be tempered somewhat offensively with the Trojans having to replace All-Pac-12 first team running back Javorious “Buck” Allen, All-America wide-receiver Nelson Agholor, and a tight end situation that creates legitimate concern due to numbers and experience.

The running back situation needs to find a difference-maker. In junior Justin Davis, there is promise but work still needs to be done, and Davis needs to prove he can remain injury free for a full season. In senior Tre Madden, it's still potential since the injury bug has been a constant during Madden's star-crossed career. A real key, however, may be a legitimate home run threat in true freshman Ronald Jones ll, the tailback comet from McKinney, Texas, who could evoke memories of all-the-way threat Reggie Bush.

With the departure by Nelson Agholor to the NFL, the Trojans will look to a group of fleet receivers coming in all sizes and shapes. The first name that will be mentioned as a linchpin is gifted sophomore JuJu Smith, but the Trojans might have even a more explosive receiver in sophomore Steven Mitchell.

As for the aforementioned tight end situation, the Trojans are in dire need of a productive player. The candidates are a hodgepodge of transfers, freshmen, and walk-ons. The No. 1 option, junior Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick, who was out last season with academic issues, remains a question mark. The tight end issues could slow all the talk of a prolific offense in 2015.

If there appears to be one very glaring positive besides the return of Kessler, it's an offensive line led by All-Pac-12 center Max Tuerk and Freshman All-America tackle Toa Lobendahn. What began as a major question mark in 2014 has become a source of excitement heading into this season. If the O-line lives up to the hype, the Trojans offense could validate the early season praise.

But perhaps of all the questions directed at the 2015 offense, the biggest unknown will come from the Trojans sidelines. If you haven't guessed by now what that might be, it's head coach Steve Sarkisian, who despite some impressive numbers through his play-calling, remains at times an enigma wrapped inside a puzzle.

Is Sarkisian a pedestrian chess player when it comes to calling plays for the Trojans offense or is he a chess master following in the footsteps of his mentor, Norm Chow?

It should be a given that no coach calling plays is ever going to be perfect. However, there are many who argue they still don't know the identity of the Trojans offense, and that goes immediately back to the man who makes the calls -- Steve Sarkisian.

In fairness to Sark, Cody Kessler and his offense have to execute their coach's play-calls because when they don't, there seems to be questions that lead back to the head coach, which isn't always fair or objective.

Although the Trojans second-year head coach will be under intense scrutiny, the good news is that you don't have to wonder whom the puppeteer is in guiding the offense -- it's the head coach.

So how good will the Trojans offense be in 2015 and will it live up to some of the preseason hype? You could say that if the Men of Troy are going to continue to trash the weaklings and up their game this season by outpointing the big boys, it will take a combined effort of Sarkisian's offensive mind and his team's execution.

And don't expect any of these questions regarding the Trojans offense to be answered with bulletproof validation on Friday at Warner Brothers Studios. No matter what the Trojans say during their brief allotted time at the movie studio, the trailer will look promising, but the proof of audience acceptance will be the full length viewing, which will only be answered through their performance on the field.