USC Moving Into Position for Possible College Football Playoff Berth

USC held off arch rival UCLA for a 48-45 in a wild game November 19th. There were plenty of big numbers to go around besides the score. The Trojans had a whopping 649 yards, and the Bruins had 513. USC quarterback Caleb Williams completed 32 passes for 470 yards and a pair of touchdowns with one interception, while UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw for 309 yards and four TDs, but he also had three intercepted. He also lost a fumble. Jordan Addison of USC was the leading receiver with 178 yards on 12 catches and a touchdown while Austin Jones rushed for 120 yards and two touchdowns for the Trojans. Tight end Michael Ezeike of UCLA had four catches for 44 yards, three of which were for touchdowns.

USC improved to 10-1 overall and 8-1 in the Pac-12. They also cracked the Top 5 in the AP Poll for the 1st time since 2017, at #5. The only schools ahead of USC are the four remaining undefeated teams—Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, and TCU– all 11-0. USC will host #18 Notre Dame to complete the regular season before advancing to the Pac-12 Championship game on December 2nd in Las Vegas. The teams with the best conference winning percentage will meet in that game. Tenth ranked Oregon is 7-1 in conference play and will be at Oregon State on November 26th; the Beavers are ranked #23 so this is not a guaranteed win for the Ducks. Twelfth ranked Washington and 14th ranked Utah are both 6-2 in conference play. USC did not play Oregon or Washington this season, and lost to Utah 43-42 in October.

If USC can beat Notre Dame and win the conference championship game, the Trojans would be in a good position to be the first Pac-12 team to make the four team field for the College Football Playoff since Washington in 2016-17. But it’s crowded at the top of the rankings, and only four will get in. Here’s the rest of the contenders:

Ohio State hosts Michigan on November 26th, so one of those will have one loss. The winner will advance to the Big 10 championship. The Wolverines and Buckeyes are the top schools in either Big 10 division, and it would be a quite a surprise if either one lost in the championship game and failed to get a CFP bid.

Georgia plays Georgia Tech in a non conference game before playing LSU in the SEC Championship. The Bulldogs figure to get a CFP bid even if they lose to LSU; in which case the #6 Tigers might also get into the CFP, assuming they get past 4-7 Texas A & M in their regular season finale first.

TCU hosts 4-7 Iowa State before advancing to the Big 12 Championship game. Although the Cyclones have had good success recently against TCU, the Horned Frogs should go into the championship undefeated. TCU has beaten both Texas and Kansas State, their likely championship opponents, already this season.

Seventh ranked Clemson (10-1) will host 7-4 South Carolina in a non conference season finale before advancing to the ACC Championship against #13 North Carolina. South Carolina destroyed #5 Tennessee 63-38 on November 19th, ending the Volunteers chances at the CFP. Clemson doesn’t have an easy road to the CFP, but certainly figures in the discussion if the Tigers win their next two.

There’s a lot to be decided in the next two weeks, and it figures to be an exciting time for college football fans.