The big question for Alabama this offseason, the one involving the starter at quarterback, was answered in an opening win against USC in the sense that, at least for now, it doesn’t seem to matter who starts.

All three of the quarterbacks who have battled for the starting position appeared capable of handling the job in a 52-6 blowout victory. Of course, it certainly doesn’t hurt having Damien Harris at running back, ArDarius Stewart at receiver and O.J. Howard at tight end to go along with a great defense.

Alabama pulled Blake Barnett after the redshirt freshman looked a little nervous on the first two drives. Getting sacked on a key third-down play certainly didn’t help the jitters. While head coach Nick Saban told reporters the team was preparing Barnett and Cooper Bateman to be the two quarterbacks for the game, Jalen Hurts entered the game.

After a shaky start, Hurts appears to be the starter moving forward, although all three had moments. Hurts fumbled the ball to start his collegiate career, but the Alabama defense held strong. Hurts came back, his confidence not shaken in the least. He tossed a 39-yard touchdown to Stewart to give Alabama its first lead of the game, 7-3.

While Bo Scarbrough had one rushing touchdown and Hurts had two, Harris was the most impressive Alabama back in this game. He had two long runs that set up a field goal and later a touchdown. Harris just couldn’t win the foot race against USC’s Adoree’ Jackson on his 73-yard run in the third quarter. Harris finished the game with 138 yards of rushing on two less carries than Scarbrough.

Even the Alabama defense outscored USC with Marlon Humphrey returning an interception for a touchdown to give the team a 17-3 lead.

The game swung decisively in Alabama’s favor when Hurts found Stewart for a 71-yard strike. The play was a double blitz by the Trojans, but Hurts looked like a veteran quarterback, picking up the blitz and centering in on Stewart.

Hurts threw an interception in the third quarter, one that exposed Alabama’s fears in naming a starter at quarterback too early in the process. Admittedly, Iman Marshall made a nice play, but Hurts’ throw left it open to Marshall as well.

In all, Hurts showed an ability to extend plays that Barnett and Bateman simply don’t have, rushing for two touchdowns and throwing two touchdowns, but he also gave away the ball twice. It’s a concern moving forward, although he was connected to three touchdowns in the third quarter that pushed the Alabama lead from 17-3 to 38-3.

Barnett re-entered the game in the fourth quarter and made a strong throw that resulted in a 45-yard touchdown reception for Gehrig Dieter. It was the final touchdown of the game, giving Alabama a 52-6 lead with more than nine minutes still left in the game.

Bateman also saw playing time in the fourth quarter, essentially mop-up duty, but he looked the most comfortable of the three. Bateman appeared to be as advertised, a true game manager, one who won’t make the same electric plays as Hurts or the same strong-armed throws as Barnett, but one who doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.

Meanwhile, Cam Sims suffered a rough shoulder injury. While it’s unclear the extent of the injury, it did not look good. The third and fourth receivers appear to be clear now: Gehrig Dieter and Robert Foster.

Finally, Jonathan Allen was a disruptive force — again. He recorded two sacks and batted down passes. The secondary also had an impressive outing, more or less shutting down speedster JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Following the big win, Saban was unimpressed. He called the team’s effort “sloppy.” Admittedly, the team has a lot of nuances to correct, and Saban is probably trying to ensure his team doesn’t get arrogant.

This week, the team faces a tune-up game for Ole Miss. Certainly, Western Kentucky is a more challenging nonconference opponent but no more difficult than USC. The Crimson Tide has to be careful not to look ahead to Ole Miss.

In the meantime, Alabama played slightly better than expected, while USC certainly didn’t expect to be beaten by 46 points. It was a good start with room for improvement.