Last year, Caleb Williams and the USC Trojans were just one win away from the College Football Playoffs.
All the Trojans would have to do to earn their first trip to the College Football Playoffs was beat the Utah Utes in the Pac-12 Championship Game, who narrowly defeated the Trojans earlier in the season 43-42.
For USC, it looked like they were well on their way, up 14-3 after the first 15 minutes of play. However, Utah would outscore the Trojans in the second and third quarters 21-3 to take a 24-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. In the final stanza, the game got entirely away from USC as Utah scored 23 fourth-quarter points to pull away and win 47-24.
USC would go on to play Tulane in the Cotton Bowl, losing 46-45.
For USC quarterback Caleb Williams, it marked the second year that the Heisman Trophy winner looked poised to make it to college football’s biggest stage but ultimately came up short.
“It bothers me because I play for championships. I don’t play for anything else. So not being able to have the chance and being so close frustrates me,” Williams said in an interview with ESPN. The potential first-overall pick in next year’s NFL Draft says he’s “very determined” to get there this fall.
The Trojans will start their quest for a College Football Playoff berth on August 26 against the San Jose State Spartans. The Trojans should be able to start the season 6-0 with games against San Jose State, Nevada, Stanford, Arizona State, Colorado, and Arizona. Their schedule will get much more challenging in the second half of their season with matchups that include Notre Dame, Utah, Washington, and Oregon.