USC Football Controls its Own Destiny With Tough Schedule Ahead

With three top ten teams remaining on their schedule, the USC Trojans control their destiny in pursuing their first playoff berth.

USC was ranked as high as No. 12 before suffering a crushing defeat to the Oregon Ducks. The Trojans were dropped to No.19 after losing to Oregon. They didn't move up any spots after defeating the Washington Huskies, but they did finally move up three spots after their bye week. 

Head coach Linciln Riley is coming off a big win against the Penn State Nittany Lions in their annual “White Out” game, in front of a record crowd of 114,000 fans. This was a great win for USC who moved up due to five teams in the top seven in the country losing this week.

Of the five games remaining on their schedule, the three toughest will be against:No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes, No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers, No. 9 UCLA Bruins. 

Riley spent the offseason stating that “the championship window is open”. If that is true, then beating at least two of these teams will be required. Riley’s team should see this upcoming schedule as an opportunity, after the fans base wrote the coach off after the Oregon loss.

USC hosts Ohio State on October 31. Starting quarterback Julian Sayin is not expected to play due to an upper body injury. Even without Sayin not playing, USC will need to find a way to defend Heisman favorite wide receiver Jermaine Smith. 

The Buckeyes are currently No. 8 nationally in total offense. They are also No. 4 in total defense. For comparison USC Is No. 15 in total offense and 62 in total defense. 

Riley’s team will travel to Bloomington to play Indiana on November 14. The defending national champions just had the nation's longest win streak snapped, with a 19-15 loss to Ohio State.

Even after the Penn State win, Riley's record on the road will cause some to be concerned.

Finally, the Men of Troy will travel to Westwood to play arch-rival UCLA on November 28.

The Bruins are the only undefeated team in the BIG Ten at 6-0. First year head coach Bob Chesney is finding ways to win tough games, even with quarterback Nico Iamaleava out for the season.

In addition to the three-ranked opponents, USC now has two “must win” games against the Wisconsin Badgers and the Maryland Terrapins on their schedule. Maryland comes to the Coliseum, while USC will travel to Wisconsin Saturday. USC will be a heavy favorite in both games.

If USC wins their two “must win” games, then they would need to do no worse than 2-1 against their three top ten opponents remaining on their schedule: Ohio State, Indiana, UCLA.

While many will see an uphill battle when looking at this remaining schedule, some will see an opportunity for USC to prove it belongs in the College Football Playoffs.

USC versus Wisconsin will be the game of this five game stretch. It will also be the first of two “must win” games for USC. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. ET on October 24 at Camp Randall.