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It’s still kind of hard to believe how far USC has fallen from grace this season. The Trojans entered as the preseason favorite to both win the Pac-12 and put a team representing the conference into the playoff for the first time since 2016.
Instead, USC was out of the playoff hunt entirely by Oct. 21 following its 34-32 loss to Utah. It was USC’s second loss of the year and the program’s fourth straight loss to the Utes dating back to 2021.
Unfortunately for the Trojans, I don’t think that will be the last game USC loses on the year. USC closes out the regular season with three consecutive ranked opponents in No. 5 Washington on Saturday, No. 6 Oregon on Nov. 11 and No. 19 UCLA on Nov. 18.
I think Huskies QB Michael Penix Jr. will have a field day against this atrocious USC defense. The Alex Grinch-led unit gives up 248.8 yards in the air per game, good for 107th in the nation. Penix is averaging 10 yards per attempt. Yes, I know Washington’s offense hasn’t looked great in its past two games against Arizona State and Stanford, but I like it to get back on track this week.
Next week, the Trojans have to travel to Eugene to take on Oregon. The Ducks are undefeated at home, and quarterback Bo Nix looks like he’ll have a strong end to the year. Oregon has a top-20 defense nationally, so I expect this to be one of the toughest units USC has faced all year. Give me Oregon by a couple scores in this one.
And lastly, the Trojans close out the season with rival UCLA. The Bruins are 6-2 with losses to Utah and Oregon State. If UCLA can win two straight over Arizona and Arizona State, the Bruins will come into this one with a ton of momentum. This matchup came down to the wire last season, as USC needed a game-sealing interception to put UCLA away. It’s a bit too early to pick a winner for me, but the Bruins pulling off an upset doesn’t seem entirely out of the realm of possibility—and by the time that game comes around, it might not even be an upset at all.
Regardless, USC losing two more in November would be a shock few of us saw coming at the start of the season. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Trojans drop three.
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