USC has Saturday off, in a manner of speaking.
The Trojans won’t actually play a football game, but we should have a clearer view of their potential postseason after Saturday’s action has concluded.
Here are the five games that could impact USC the most — and which side the Trojans and their fans should be pulling for:
MICHIGAN AT NO. 10 OHIO STATE
USC’s rooting interest: Michigan.
Comment: Don’t know about you, but I’m over the whole Ohio State thing. I thought for a time that Buckeyes-Trojans would make for a great Rose Bowl — until I saw Ohio State lose to Penn State and realized Terrelle Pryor isn’t quite ready yet. Besides, they’ll meet again in September.
NO. 15 MICHIGAN STATE AT NO. 8 PENN STATE
USC’s rooting interest: Penn State.
Comment: As much as a couple of Spartans backers I know want the reverse to happen, Penn State winning makes for a much better Rose Bowl … against USC. I’m not sure anyone outside Corvallis (and maybe Happy Valley) wants to see Oregon State-Penn State II.
NO. 14 BYU AT NO. 7 UTAH
USC’s rooting interest: BYU.
Comment: Just on the outside chance an undefeated Utah team would bump USC out of the BCS bowl picture altogether. Although No. 6 USC is ahead of Utah in the BCS standings, the Utes have a sizable lead in the computer rankings. And Pete Carroll didn’t exactly stir up positive BCS karma earlier this season.
NO. 21 OREGON STATE AT ARIZONA
USC’s rooting interest: Arizona.
Comment: Although some would prefer that USC play in a bowl other than the Rose against a high-profile Big 12 or SEC opponent, you want to at least ensure the Rose Bowl bid in case something goes haywire — such as three Big 12 teams and Utah making BCS bowls, sending ‘SC to San Diego for the Holiday Bowl.
NO. 2 TEXAS TECH AT NO. 5 OKLAHOMA
USC’s rooting interest: Oklahoma.
Comment: Not as easy a call as you’d think. If Oklahoma were to lose, the Sooners would have two losses and the Trojans most likely would surpass them. Would Texas Tech fall that far with one loss, and a quality one at that? There are no guarantees — although the Red Raiders deserve to drop based on their cupcake-filled non-conference schedule.
More from the USC blog:
- USC football: A good bye for the Trojans
- USC football: Jurrell Casey stands out
- USC football: Pre-Notre Dame injury updates
- USC football: Carroll comments on NFL possibilities
- USC basketball: Walker says U-S-C you later
- USC basketball: Trojans sign pair to letters of intent
- USC football: State of the Trojans …
- USC football: Hello week for Mustain, Corp
- USC football: Fili Moala’s anguish
- USC football: Pete Carroll’s lap stance
About your Oregon State - Arizona rationale… Is it possible to have THREE Big 12 teams in the BCS? Even if one is in the title game, can’t they only have one more representative? I seem to recall that from a couple years ago with Ohio State (title game), Michigan (Rose Bowl) leaving Wisconsin - a 1-loss team - on the outside looking in because THREE teams from one conference can’t all go.
“in case something goes haywire — such as three Big 12 teams and Utah making BCS bowls”
You don’t have to worry at all about that one - the BCS has a bylaw that restricts a single conference to only having two representatives in BCS bowls. As soon as bowls pick two Big-12 teams, no bowls who still have picks outstanding will be allowed to pick a third Big-12 team.
This is a WIN-WIN weekend for USC. Make no mistake about it. I don’t care what Utah does. No BCS bowl is going to dim their lights, slight their bowl, degrade their commercial standings, to have Utah over USC. No, USC, with a single six point loss, 11-1, Co Champion of the PAC 10 (shared or won the Conf the past 7 consecutive years), and all of the “showtime” it brings will be in that BCS game. It could be the Fiesta or the Sugar, because both would draw the most attention of any bowl out there.
If Oregon State loses, it’s the Rose Bowl and Penn State. That is the greatest horror story for the Rose Bowl Committee. Oregon State v Penn State (2)? PSU barely beats Ohio State, a team dismantled by USC, while Oregon State, barely in the top 25, and at the best it will be a 3-loss team.? Oregon State has already lost to PSU by 25 points. I don’t think many will care other than people from those two schools. Who knows, it might just end up on Versus.
It was brought it that it might be possible for the Big 12 to get 3 teams in. If Florida loses then beats Alabama that would shut the SEC from the championship game. If Penn State and USC lost again that would shut them out as well. So it might be possible for Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech to somehow get to #1 and #2. If the Big 12 South champion somehow barely lost to Missouri then Missouri would be the conference champion, but it might not be enough to knock the Big 12 South winner from the top two spots (EX: Oklahoma getting destroyed by Colorado in the Big 12 championship game and still making it to the BCS NCG).
The BCS rules state that #1 must play #2. They also state that the conference winner must get an automatic bid. So if the previous scenario went to perfection, There would be 2 Big 12 South teams at #1 and #2 and Missouri would be the conference champ and would play in the Fiesta Bowl. Highly unlikely but possible.
Anyway, I hope Missouri does win the Big 12 and USC sneaks into the title game, because there is no way the voters should put a team that didn’t even win their division over USC (assuming they win out and are conference champions.)
It is possible to have three Big 12 teams in BCS bowl, as Matthew stated. This LA Times story reiterates that:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/usc/la-sp-bcs20-2008nov20,0,5092326.story