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Blame Lincoln Riley for USC transforming into messy bust in Pac-12 title loss
LAS VEGAS — The invincible quarterback was hobbled.
The genius coach was dumb.
The streaking USC Trojans limped and stumbled and eventually went splat, their loveliest of dreams dying an ugly death in the desert.
Utah 47, USC 24, and who would have thought?
This Pac-12 championship game Friday night at Allegiant Stadium was supposed to be a coronation for the No. 4-ranked Trojans, the stunningly brilliant debut season for coach Lincoln Riley and quarterback Caleb Williams scheduled to culminate in their first conference title in five years and the school’s first College Football Playoff berth.
Then Riley lost his mind. And Williams lost his mobility after suffering a first-quarter hamstring injury. And the Trojans eventually lost their resilience against a relentless Utah team that rebounded from a 17-3 deficit to run over tacklers, rush past linemen and eventually crush the Trojans’ hopes with the brutality of an angry craps table.
USC’s 2022 turnaround comes to a crashing halt as they await their bowl fate
LAS VEGAS — Every seemingly impossible step in USC’s extraordinary yearlong turnaround, from the stunning hire of Lincoln Riley last November to the magical moments constantly conjured by its star quarterback, had for the past year defied any sane expectation, its stunning run all but daring destiny to intervene.
The Trojans had climbed out of the Pac-12 cellar, scratching and clawing their way back from a 4-8 season to the brink of the College Football Playoff. They’d climbed back in the last minute in Corvallis, held tight in Tucson, roared past their rivals at the Rose Bowl. But by Friday night, a yearlong journey few ever expected had reached its abrupt, unceremonious end right on the doorstep of a dream season in a devastating, 47-24 defeat to Utah.
It ended with Caleb Williams limping, unable to evade a ferocious Utah pass rush, and USC’s defense leaking, unable to tackle. It ended in the cruelest of fashions, with Utah piling on and USC helpless, for the first time all season, to change its fate.
“You get that close to winning a championship and much more,” Riley said, “it’s a tough pill to swallow.”
There was little it could do without its Heisman-bound quarterback. Williams had done all he could to play through the searing pain in his hamstring. He laced passes downfield in spite of a cut on his pinky and took hit after hit as he limped his way around the pocket. He’d still throw for 363 yards and three touchdowns, even as Riley tried multiple times to replace his injured quarterback, who demanded he stay in the game.
“That’s as gutsy of a performance as you’ll ever see,” Riley said of his quarterback.
But his tireless effort would only leave him face down on the turf, late in the fourth quarter, as a Utah crowd roared, their team on its way to the Rose Bowl.
Where USC winds up now for its postseason remains to be seen. With a bid to the College Football Playoff semifinals almost certainly out of reach, it’s likely that the Trojans wind up in one of the New Year’s Six bowls, a fitting consolation after an 11-2 season.
Though, it didn’t feel that way Friday.
“It takes so much to get here, especially where we started from, to not get it done, is very disappointing,” Riley said.
Lincoln Riley calls loss to Utah ‘a tough pill to swallow’
As Utah celebrated its Pac-12 championship win on the field, leaders of the wounded USC football team addressed what went wrong.
USC coach Lincoln Riley, quarterback Caleb Williams and linebacker Shane Lee discussed the loss to the Utes.
“Obviously, a disappointing night for us,” Riley said. “You come as far as this team and this program has come in the last 12 months, get that close to winning a championship and more, obviously not getting it done, it’s a tough pill to swallow.”
Riley later praised Utah’s strong performance.
“I want to give Utah credit. … They certainly deserved to win tonight,” Riley said, later adding. “…. Our guys deserve and our program deserves a lot of credit for being here right now. There’s no question. I’m proud of the way we battled. … We just didn’t have quite enough to get over the hump.”
Biggest winners of USC’s loss to Utah in Pac-12 title game? Ohio State
The biggest winners of USC’s Pac-12 title game loss? It’s future Big Ten rivals from Columbus — Ohio State.
With Utah’s 47-27 win over USC, Ohio State is in prime position to take over the No. 4 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings ahead of Sunday’s semifinals matchup announcement. Having two Big Ten teams in the College Football Playoff would be a big win for a conference that already pulled off a pretty major coup by landing UCLA and USC this year.
It remains to be seen what bowl game USC will be invited to in the wake of its second loss to Utah this season. As for the Utes, they’re Rose Bowl-bound.
Here’s a photographic look at some of the biggest moments from the second half of Utah’s stunning win over the Trojans.
No more Playoff: USC loses to Utah in Pac-12 championship game
USC’s College Football Playoff dream is over.
The No. 4 Trojans blew a 14-point lead against Utah in the Pac-12 championship game on Friday in Las Vegas and lost 47-24, likely costing the team its place in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Utah, which won its second consecutive Pac-12 championship, added a late touchdown on a 23-yard rush from Jadon Redding to bury the Trojans even deeper.
Quarterback Caleb Williams dazzled early, but suffered a leg injury late in the first half, causing him to limp throughout most of the game. USC scored just seven points in the second half when Williams willed the team into the end zone, hobbling for a third-down conversion on one leg and slinging five straight completions to cut the deficit to just a field goal early in the third quarter.
But the much maligned USC defense wore down against Utah’s physical front. The Utes scored their final three touchdowns on plays longer than 23 yards, capitalizing on USC’s poor tackling. Laboring, Williams threw a late interception and fumbled the ball on a sack. USC also lost starting center Brett Neilon to an injury in the fourth quarter.
USC was outscored 30-7 in the second half.
Williams finished with 363 yards with three touchdowns and one interception on 28-of-41 passing. He had 21 rushing yards on 12 carries, including seven sacks.
Utah’s Cameron Rising threw for 310 yards and three touchdowns on 22-of-34 passing. Ja’Quinden Jackson had 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.
Caleb Williams’ fumble seals USC’s fate
Caleb Wiliams fumbled the ball on a sack at the USC 38-yard line and all USC can do is wait to retreat into the locker room now.
Utah leads 40-24 with less than 2:30 minutes remaining.
Utah lands knockout punch
All I can say is “yikes.”
Utah landed a knockout punch with a 53-yard touchdown run from Ja’Quinden Jackson to go ahead 40-24 with 5:29 remaining. Jackson was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the celebration, backing up the extra point attempt that sailed wide.
With its quarterback hobbled, starting center in the locker room with a leg injury and only one score in the second half, USC needs a miracle to keep its College Football Playoff semifinal hopes alive.
Jackson has 90 rushing yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns and dragged USC safety Calen Bullock into the end zone on the touchdown for an extra exclamation mark. Cameron Rising has 310 yards and three touchdowns through the air.
USC falling further behind as Caleb Wiliams throws interception
It’s going from bad to worse for USC, which lost its starting center and turned the ball over within three plays.
Caleb Williams threw an interception with 6:57 to go in the fourth quarter and trailing 34-24. Utah’s R.J. Hubert intercepted the pass intended for Lake McRee and returned it 29 yards down the sideline as Utah took over at its own 39. It was Williams’ fourth interception of the year.
Brett Neilon injured as USC tries to mount comeback
USC center Brett Neilon was carted off the field after appearing to sustain a leg injury in the fourth quarter.
Caleb Williams scrambled to his right and completed an improbable 48-yard pass to Jordan Addison on fourth-and-three from the USC 32-yard line, but the big play came at a big cost as the offense will be without its leader on the offensive line.
Teammates stood around Neilon as trainers attended to him on the field. Travis Dye, who suffered a season-ending leg injury last month, was among the first to offer support to the fifth-year offensive lineman. As trainers helped him onto the cart, Neilon raised his arms to call for cheers from the USC crowd. He flashed USC’s victory sign.
USC trails 34-24 with 8:10 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Justin Dedich is at center for the Trojans, who are already without Andrew Vorhees.
Missed tackles dooming USC defense again
Missed tackles doomed USC against Utah in October and they’re biting the Trojans again tonight as Thomas Yassmin broke two tackles and rumbled into the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown that stole momentum right back for the Utes.
Utah leads 34-24 with 10:08 remaining.
While USC fans were just inspired by the gusty performance of Caleb Williams on the last touchdown drive, Utah fans are now chanting “Let’s go Utah!”
Utah quarterback Cameron Rising has 303 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-33 passing.
Caleb Williams limps through touchdown drive
One good leg is all Caleb Williams needs for a touchdown drive.
USC’s star quarterback delivered a gusty nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, capped with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Mario Williams.
The Trojans trail 27-24 with 10:52 to go.
With his limp growing more and more noticeable, Williams scrambled for a 14-yard gain on third-and-six from the USC 29-yard line, gritting his teeth with every step until he slid down safely. The way he peeled himself off the field, putting almost his entire body weight on his right leg as he stood up, seemed to indicate that he is struggling with a left leg injury. The conversion was critical because it allowed USC to avoid its fifth consecutive punt and fourth straight three-and-out.
He completed each of his next five passes, including a 28-yard strike to Brenden Rice that moved the Trojans into the red zone. He is 20-for-31 for 244 yards and three touchdowns.
Utah takes 10-point lead at beginning of fourth quarter
Utah is one quarter away from its second consecutive Pac-12 championship, leading USC 27-17 after a field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter.
The Utes have scored 24 unanswered points as USC’s vaunted offense is hampered by a hobbled Caleb Williams.
Williams has been sacked three times, throwing for 187 yards and two touchdowns on 15-of-25 passing. The Trojans have punted on four consecutive drives and were outscored 7-0 during the third quarter, a period that they usually dominate.
Utah’s Cameron Rising is leading the Utes with 243 passing yards and two touchdowns on 20-of-32 passing. He took a crushing blow from Ralen Goforth in the third quarter that knocked his helmet off and sent him to the sideline for a few plays. But he returned to push the Utes into the red zone to end the third quarter.
Utah went for a 35-yard field goal on fourth-and-three from the USC 17-yard line after Rising’s pass to Money Parks on third down was three yards short of the line to gain.
USC offense struggling behind weakened Caleb Williams
Utah has seemingly zapped Caleb Williams of his super powers as the USC offense has punted on four consecutive drives.
The Trojans trail 24-17 late in the third quarter.
USC has 33 yards of offense in its last four drives with Williams clearly laboring with a lower body injury. He has stayed in the game, but backup Miller Moss was warming up. Even when Williams was able to get off a good pass in the previous drive, Tahj Washington dropped it on third-and-six, forcing another punt from Aadyn Sleep-Dalton.
It’s worth noting that USC is without top offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees, who is out with an undisclosed injury. The resulting shuffle left redshirt freshman Mason Murphy at right tackle. While Murphy has earned praise from teammates for his play earlier this season, the stakes of this game — and an excellent opponent — is proving to be a much different situation for the young player.
Caleb Williams’ Kryptonite?
They call him Superman, but has Caleb Williams met his Kryptonite?
Williams was sacked for a 10-yard loss on first down, which led to a USC three-and-out and punt, and it’s clear the star quarterback is struggling physically as Utah leads 24-17.
Backup quarterback Miller Moss is warming up on the sideline during Utah’s offensive drive while Williams is speaking to Lincoln Riley. Williams has been sacked three times tonight for a loss of 25 yards.
Utah is Money on third down
Utah shocked USC with a 57-yard touchdown pass from Cameron Rising to Money Parks to take a 24-17 lead with 10:33 remaining in the third quarter.
The Utah fans have filled the stadium with chants of “Let’s Go Utah” after the Utes turned a third-and-19 into a go-ahead touchdown. Parks slipped through a USC tackle and two more Trojans ran into each other, allowing Parks to race into the end zone.
Utah started the drive in USC territory after the Trojans went three-and-out and punted from the end zone. Gabe Ried sacked Caleb Williams on second down for an eight-yard loss and the Trojans went conservative on third-and-18 with a two-yard rush from Austin Jones. Aadyn Sleep-Dalton tallied just 48 yards on his punt.
After two impressive rushing performances against UCLA and Notre Dame, Jones has been a non-factor against Utah. He is averaging just 2.6
Williams was laboring on the sideline, riding the exercise bike and pacing with a noticable limp.
USC defense forces punt to start second half
A 15-yard face mask penalty on the first play of the second half looked like an ominous sign for USC, but the Trojans were able to force a punt and keep Utah from doubling down on its late first-half touchdown.
The game is tied 17-17 as USC takes over at its own 15-yard line early in the third quarter.
Utah looking to grab lead in second half
And we’re back for round two.
Utah tied it up on the last drive of the first half and will try to take the lead to open the second.
USC’s kickoff went for a touchback.
Utah fights back for a tie at halftime
Not so fast, said Cameron Rising.
Utah has clawed back from yet another 14-point deficit against USC to tie the game at 17-17 heading into halftime.
Rising led the Utes on a game-tying 14-play, 81-yard drive capped off by a four-yard touchdown reception by Jaylen Dixon with two seconds remaining. The Utes have scored 14 unanswered points and ran into the locker room with their fans shouting at full volume.
Rising is 14-for-24 for 157 yards and one touchdown. His receivers didn’t do him many favors on the last drive with at least two drops.
Tight end Dalton Kincaid, who burned the Trojans for 234 receiving yards in October, made three catches on the drive. His biggest came on third-and-10 as he fought through multiple USC defenders to lean forward to get 11 yards. The Trojans had just forced back-to-back incompletions and were close to getting a critical stop to end the first half, but the catch kept the Utes marching.
Adding insult to injury for USC, Utah receives the opening kickoff for the second half to double-down on the touchdown.
USC missed several opportunities in the first half to seize control. The Trojans settled for a 20-yard field goal on fourth-and-goal from the three-yard line. A touchdown would have given the Trojans a 21-3 lead instead of the 17-3 advantage.
The offense also squandered the fumble recovery by the defense by settling for two conservative rushes, which led to a turnover on downs. The Utes got the ball back at their own 37-yard line and scored their first touchdown of the game.
Caleb Williams is 13-for-19 for 170 yards and two touchdowns. He has a team-high 69 rushing yards on five carries.
Utah scores its first touchdown
Utah has entered the chat.
Don’t count the Utes out as they notched their first touchdown of the game off an eight-yard rush from Ja’Quinden Jackson.
USC still leads 17-10 with 3:55 remaining in the second quarter.
Quarterback Cameron Rising made some critical plays in the red zone, rushing three straight times, including a four-yard carry on fourth-and-two from the USC 18-yard line. After two more carries, he handed the ball off to Jackson, who rushed up the middle for the touchdown.
USC nearly had another takeaway on the drive as Latrell McCutchin forced a fumble against Micah Bernard, but Utah was able to recover the ball.
While USC is outgaining the Utes 228-152 and averaging 8.1 yards per play compared to 5.6, Utah is only down one score. The Utes are familiar with comeback victories against USC. Don’t forget that the Trojans led by 14 late in the second quarter in Salt Lake City two months ago.
USC offense can’t cash in on defensive takeaway
Just when Utah appeared to get its first big play of the game, USC turned a 19-yard completion into a takeaway to quiet Utah’s rowdy fans.
Max Williams forced a fumble against Utah’s Jaylen Dixon and safety Bryson Shaw scooped up the ball to put the Trojans at the Utah 39-yard line.
Despite the momentum from the big defensive play, the Trojans turned the ball back over on downs after two consecutive rushes from Austin Jones netted just two yards and a pass from Caleb Williams to Tahj Washington was broken up on third down.
Williams’ throw to Jordan Addison was incomplete on fourth-and-eight from the Utah 37-yard line.
Utah wins one kept matchup to force field goal
Clark Phillips III got the better of Jordan Addison on a third-down throw to the end zone, forcing an incomplete pass that limited USC to a 20-yard field goal from Denis Lynch.
The Trojans lead 17-3 with 12:08 to go in the second quarter.
The matchup out wide between Phillips, who has six interceptions this year, and USC’s top wideout Addison will be an interesting wrinkle in tonight’s game. Caleb Williams has had no trouble finding help from other sources, including Tahj Washington (three catches, 59 yards and one touchdown) and Mario Williams (two catches, 39 yards). Addison has just 13 yards on three catches.
USC offense firing on all cylinders after first quarter
Caleb Williams has absolutely lived up to the Heisman hype in the first quarter of the Pac-12 championship game, leading the Trojans to a 14-3 lead over Utah.
The quarterback is eight-for-nine passing for 110 yards and two touchdowns with a team-high 76 rushing yards. He again avoided the pass rush, calmly climbed the pocket and fired a rocket to Mario Williams for 31 yards on the final play of the first quarter to set the Trojans up with first-and-10 from the Utah 33-yard line to open the second quarter.
USC averaged 11.5 yards per play in the first quarter compared to Utah’s five.
Caleb Williams. That’s the headline.
Bill Plaschke said it best.
“Unbelievable!” he said after Caleb Williams ripped off a 59-yard scramble that included four missed tackles.
Williams capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown pass to Mario Williams on fourth down four plays later and the Trojans now lead 14-3 with 2:52 remaining in the first quarter.
Caleb Williams is cementing his case as the Heisman winner with 72 yards and two touchdowns on six-of-seven passing to open the championship game. He also leads the Trojans in rushing with three carries for 73 yards.
USC limits Utah to field goal on opening drive
Utah was dominating the line of scrimmage during its first drive and moved into the red zone with ease, but USC held the Utes to a 25-yard field goal with a third-down stop by Calen Bullock.
USC leads 7-3 with 6:10 remaining in the first quarter.
Utah had four first downs in its first six plays. But the Utes stalled after getting first-and-goal from the five-yard line. Eric Gentry and Mekhi Blackmon combined to drop Jaylen Dixon for a three-yard loss on second down and Bullock broke up a pass on third down to force the field goal.
USC also burned its second timeout of the game on third-and-goal from the seven-yard line.
USC strikes quickly in front of sold-out crowd
USC fans are filling Allegiant Stadium with chants of “U-S-C! U-S-C!” after the Trojans opened the game with a two-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Williams to Tahj Washington to go up 7-0 with 11:28 remaining in the first quarter.
Williams was a perfect three-for-three for 56 yards on the drive, including a 50-yard strike to Washington that moved the Trojans into the red zone.
The Pac-12 announced a sell-out crowd and it looks like the fans showed up. Although I saw way more Utah fans walking through the Park MGM hotel and in the parking lot entering the game, I think the fan bases are relatively even in strength in the stadium. It’s hard to tell because both teams wear red.
Utah’s fans rose up on third-and-short and forced USC to take a timeout on its first drive of the game. But the Trojans kept the drive moving with a one-yard rush on third down from Austin Jones and a three-yard, fourth-down keeper from Williams.
Viva Las Vegas
Greetings from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas! This is Thuc Nhi Nguyen, I’m driving our Pac-12 championship game live blog as USC tries to seal its spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals with a conference title over defending Pac-12 champions Utah. I’m joined by USC beat reporter Ryan Kartje and columnist Bill Plaschke.
The No. 4 Trojans (11-1) won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kick. We’ll get an early look at Heisman front-runner Caleb Williams, who leads the potent USC offense.
USC is trying to avenge its one loss this year, a 43-42 heartbreaker to Utah in Salt Lake City in October.
Mike Bohn deems Trojans’ quick turnaround under Lincoln Riley ‘special’
Late last November, the night before everything changed for USC football, Mike Bohn stared out over a sea of red, empty seats spread throughout the Coliseum. What few rows were filled that Saturday night belonged primarily to Brigham Young fans, all dressed in blue and white.
It was a depressing scene, at the end of a depressing 4-8 season for USC. But in the meantime, a more promising development was playing out on a TV in the athletic director’s box, where Oklahoma State had just ousted Oklahoma from conference-title contention, opening the door for a conversation with the coach Bohn coveted most for USC’s own opening.
Twelve hours later, Lincoln Riley agreed in principle to become USC’s next coach, setting into motion one of the most stunning single-season turnarounds in recent college football history.
Twelve months after that, with USC’s first-ever bid to the College Football Playoff within reach, Bohn looked out over the same stadium during last Saturday’s win over Notre Dame in a state of awe. The stands were full. The Coliseum was rocking. The future for USC football seemed impossibly bright.
Meet USC’s most fashionable and viral sensation: kicker Denis Lynch
The spelling on the shirt didn’t matter, only that it looked cool. So Denis Lynch bought it.
The red-headed redshirt freshman’s thinking behind a soon-to-be viral outfit is as simple as the slogan printed on the black T-shirt he wore into a game against Fresno State. The straight-forward phrase easily captures the USC kicker’s unique influence on campus.
“I’m Dennis doing Dennis things.”
With his meme-able fashion statements and consistent kicking, Lynch has grown into an unexpected favorite on a championship-contending team. The roster has enough multi-starred recruits to fill the sky during a Pac-12 after dark game, yet fans are celebrating an unassuming 5-foot-8 kicker with freckles and a curly mop of red hair every week in hopes of getting Lynch a scholarship.
Where does Lincoln Riley’s first-year turnaround at USC fit in college football history?
When witnessing something remarkable in progress, there is a natural instinct to ponder if anything like it has ever happened.
So, USC’s wondrous whirlwind from 4-8 to 11-1 and the doorstep of the College Football Playoff in Lincoln Riley’s first season got me to thinking this week: Where does Riley’s masterpiece fit among the best one-year coaching turnarounds in the sport’s history?
Well, for starters, he’s in illustrious and rare company. Most of the game’s legendary coaches either: a) weren’t handed a program in total tatters, or b) did not achieve major success until at least the second season at their new school. For instance, Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, Jim Tressel at Ohio State and Urban Meyer at Florida broke through with national championships in Year 2. Pete Carroll did not win the big one until Year 3 at USC, though it was clear after his second season that he was well on his way to reestablishing a standard of excellence.
Inside the Rose Bowl’s tricky road to College Football Playoff expansion approval
As of Wednesday, the College Football Playoff did not have its answer after months of waiting. The Rose Bowl was still on the clock, and, accordingly, Pasadena attorney Laura Farber, the chairman of the game’s management committee, warned her opposing counsel that she would be taking lots of breaks that day during their deposition.
“I know why … Rose Bowl, right?” the opposing counsel said. “I’m not a college football fan, but my husband is.”
If you care about college football at all, Wednesday’s setup was overflowing with intrigue. The CFP was hoping to come to an agreement on early adoption of its new 12-team format, beginning in 2024, and the last box it needed to check was the “Granddaddy of Them All” signing off on amending the last two years of the current contract.
Viral sensation USC Cardinal Divas strive to ‘create a Black space for Black women’
Princess Lang pressed send on her innocent tweet. If she got 50 likes on this simple, seven-second video clip of her dancing, the junior majoring in musical theater at USC would feel so famous.
The notifications that followed nearly buzzed a phone-shaped hole into her friend’s couch cushion.
More than 3 million views and 104,000 likes streamed in on the video of Lang dancing in the front row at the Coliseum with a newly formed majorette team during USC’s football game against Fresno State. Her curly, shoulder-length hair bounced with every arm movement. A bright smile lit up her face.
“The Cardinal Divas of SC are UP NEXT,” the tweet said.
The best places to eat, sleep, watch football and have fun in Pac-12 country
From the Rocky Mountains to the deserts of Arizona to the Pacific coastline, the Pac-12 Conference spans 11 cities in six states with diverse landscapes and climates. Each Pac-12 school is in a city that offers numerous activities, restaurants and hidden gems to add to your game-day experience.
Our college writers have trekked to Pac-12 cities and their surrounding communities. Now they’re sharing their favorite things to do, places to stay and can’t-miss dining experiences within the Pac-12 footprint. With USC and UCLA poised to leave the conference in 2024, this is your guide to the ultimate Pac-12 road trip.
Wine lovers attending a game at Washington State, for example, could add a side trip to Walla Walla wine country; fans of the “The Shining” could stay at the hotel where the movie was filmed in the University of Colorado area; and we didn’t forget the very distinct L.A. gems around the corner from UCLA and USC games.
USC and UCLA validated Fox’s belief that Big Ten future must include L.A.
On Friday at his Pasadena hotel, Gus Johnson went to the pool and swam laps. The present was bliss, but he couldn’t help but think about his future as Fox’s lead college football play-by-play man.
“It was so refreshing,” Johnson said Friday night on the eve of Saturday’s epic crosstown rivalry clash between USC and UCLA. “My life is about to change. When these cats come into the Big Ten, I’m gonna be swimming in September!”
And, apparently, even in November.
The weekend before, Johnson and color analyst Joel Klatt found themselves in frigid Columbus, Ohio, for a “Big Noon Kickoff” snooze fest between Ohio State and Indiana. Too often this year, it has been made abundantly clear why Fox and the Big Ten enticed the Trojans and Bruins into a Midwestern migration that would change college sports forever.
USC’s Caleb Williams shines against Notre Dame, deserves Heisman
He danced. He darted. He dodged. He defied. He defined.
During one hot moment on a chilly Saturday night in downtown Los Angeles, this city’s newest sports superstar ran around the Coliseum grass for what seemed like an eternity while avoiding desperate hulks, lunging helmets, flailing arms.
Then it happened. Whoa. Wow. Just like that. Just like it previously happened for every other great player who has won college football’s greatest award.
Caleb Williams created his Heisman Moment.
Running away from seemingly half the Notre Dame defense late in the first half, leaping off one foot just ahead of a giant grasp, Williams twisted his torso and threaded the ball 23 yards down the right sideline and into the arms of Jordan Addison.
An improbable scramble. An impossible throw. A rumbling chant. A national roar.
“Heis-man! Heis-man!” sang the USC student section.
USC is No. 4 in CFP rankings. Would idle Ohio State slide into playoff if the Trojans lose?
The nation’s focus will be on Las Vegas on Friday night when USC and Utah play for the Pac-12 championship.
“That’s the only drama left,” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said Tuesday night after the College Football Playoff rankings reveal.
Based on the CFP selection committee’s ranking of the Trojans as No. 4, USC is in the playoff with a win over the Utes. But what if USC loses? That’s where things would get interesting.
The playoff never has invited a two-loss team into the field, and it is unlikely to break that precedent for a USC squad whose best win would be at No. 15 Oregon State by a score of 17-14.
‘We were the greatest team ever.’ Anthony Davis, 1972 USC Trojans savor their legacy
Fifty years after the game that changed his life, Anthony Davis sits in an office surrounded by a museum of his USC memorabilia, wondering what might’ve been if his biggest moment never materialized.
The six touchdowns Davis scored on Notre Dame that day in December 1972 would go down as one of the greatest single-game performances in college football history, the piece de resistance of a storybook ’72 season for USC that still ranks among the best the sport has ever seen. On that particular subject, there’s no debating with Davis, whose infamous swagger as a star Trojan running back remains very much intact at 70 years old.
“We set the standard. No one has lived to that standard yet,” Davis declared.
Not even the 2004 Trojans with Reggie Bush? Davis shakes his head. He wonders if the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who finished 17-0 that NFL season, could keep up.
Roundtable: Will USC beat Utah? When did Caleb Williams clinch the Heisman?
USC is preparing for a rematch with Utah, the only team to beat the Trojans this season, in the Pac-12 title game. Crosstown rival UCLA, meanwhile, is facing a grim finish to a once promising season. College football reporters Ryan Kartje, Ben Bolch, J. Brady McCollough and Thuc Nhi Nguyen discuss key questions facing the two teams.
What has changed since USC’s loss to Utah?
Kartje: The Trojans’ lone defeat under Lincoln Riley happened just last month, but it feels like a lifetime ago considering the confidence USC is playing with right now. Players have said that loss — and the heart-wrenching scene after — changed them as a team, and it’s hard to dispute that given what we’ve seen since. Most importantly, a defense that was torched in Salt Lake City has taken a significant step forward, even holding Notre Dame to under 100 yards rushing last week. Caleb Williams is somehow playing even better right now than he was in October, when he threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns. And this time, he’ll presumably have a healthy Jordan Addison at his disposal. This is a different USC team than the one that left Utah heartbroken, one that presumably wouldn’t leave itself in position for a bad penalty or two to impact the final outcome.
I knew Lincoln Riley was going to be good for USC. But not this good
A year ago, I knew what USC’s bold move to bring in Lincoln Riley meant — not just for the Trojans but for college football on the West Coast.
I knew that Riley, already proven as one of the top coaches in the sport at 39 years old with a West Texas swagger, was eventually going to elevate USC back to national prominence. I knew that his presence and his electric offenses would reignite Los Angeles’ passion for college football, right as the Rams were building momentum toward a Super Bowl crown won right here in Inglewood. As The Times’ national college football reporter, I was selfishly excited because Riley’s arrival guaranteed a wider audience for my work and that of my ridiculously talented and driven colleagues on the college beat.
But I did not know Riley would be this good.
Yes, once he convinced star quarterback Caleb Williams to transfer from Oklahoma, and once Biletnikoff Award-winning wide receiver Jordan Addison followed Williams here from Pittsburgh, I figured USC’s turnaround from a deflating 4-8 season would be definitive and swift.
A loss to Utah inspired USC. Now a win over the Utes would make the Trojans champions
The moment it dawned on Justin Dedich that this USC season was destined to be special came seven weeks ago in Salt Lake City, amid the devastation of its first and only defeat.
USC’s 43-42 loss to Utah last month landed like a gut punch. As the Trojans filtered into the visitor’s locker room of Rice-Eccles Stadium, the senior captain was struck by the scene. Emotions from the last-minute defeat lay bare. Players sat at their lockers in tears. But behind their puffy eyes, Dedich saw something he’d never seen in his previous four seasons at USC.
Not sorrow or indifference in defeat, but determination.
“It was a different mindset from this team,” Dedich said. “Some teams … they wouldn’t think about it, one loss. They’d be onto the next. But we were upset. It built a fire in us.”
USC coach Lincoln Riley could feel it, too.
USC vs. Utah: Betting odds, lines and picks against the spread
USC’s only loss of the season was to Utah, 43-42 on Oct. 15.
That hasn’t stopped oddsmakers from installing the No. 4 Trojans (11-1, 8-1 in the Pac-12) as a three-point favorite over the No. 11 Utes (9-3, 7-2) in the Pac-12 Conference championship game Friday at Allegient Stadium in Las Vegas.
In addition to the conference title, the Trojans are also trying to earn a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Utah beat USC earlier this fall on a two-point conversion run by quarterback Cameron Rising, who also threw for 415 yards and three touchdowns while running for two. Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams — who is now nearly a lock to win the Heisman Trophy as the -2500 betting favorite at DraftKings sportsbooks — threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns.
The best college football conference championship games to watch
It’s conference championship week and the stakes are high for teams looking to secure a College Football Playoff berth or a top bowl invite. Here’s a rundown of conference championship games that should be worth your viewing time. All times are Pacific.
No. 3 TCU (12-0) vs. No. 10 Kansas State (9-3) at Arlington, Texas
The Big 12 championship will feature two 1,000-yard rushers in power back Kendre Miller of Texas Christian and the 5-foot, 6-inch slippery Deuce Vaughn of Kansas State. The Horned Frogs are one of three remaining undefeated college teams. If the Wildcats pull off the upset, will TCU remain in the playoff picture? The only teams to lose a conference championship and stay in contention were Georgia last year and Notre Dame in 2020 when it was a guest member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Texas Christian is favored by 2½ points.
How to watch: 9 a.m. ABC, ESPN+
No. 1 Georgia (12-0) vs. No. 14 LSU (9-3) at Atlanta
After two straight losing seasons, Louisiana State was sailing toward a potential playoff berth under first-year coach Brian Kelly until the Tigers ran into a Texas A&M buzz saw last week, losing 38-23. Now LSU will need a similar effort that produced an upset of Alabama in the regular season to top the No.1 Bulldogs. A Southeastern Conference title would be a nice addition to Georgia’s impressive run over the last two seasons after it sustained its only loss last year in the SEC championship. Georgia is favored by 18½ points.
How to watch: 1 p.m. CBS, Paramount+