The USC Trojans did not play well — not a complete game, at least — against Colorado on Saturday. They played a good first half and a bad second half. Their defensive implosion in the second half changed the narrative surrounding this game.
Because USC’s game was on Fox Big Noon Saturday, a lot of eyeballs were watching. The national narrative was prominent because this was a centerpiece event for national and regional media. The chorus was loud and clear after the game: USC can’t be taken seriously. Oregon and Washington are better.
Yet, as Saturday continued, something interesting happened: Oregon and Washington did not play markedly better games.
Oregon was shut out in the first quarter at Stanford and led the lowly Cardinal by a meager 14-6 score at halftime.
Washington played its worst game of 2023 and barely beat Arizona, 31-24.
Yet, everyone is talking about how concerned USC should be (which is fair and fine). Few people are talking about how concerned Oregon and Washington should be. That’s the point we are trying to amplify here.
Why the difference? Oregon and Washington played their games on Pac-12 Network. The lack of visibility for those games compared to Fox Big Noon Saturday has shaped a narrative in which USC is catching a lot more heat than the Ducks or Huskies.
We talked about this at The Voice of College Football in the YouTube video below:
*
Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.
Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football leading into the big game against Washington on October 14.
USC win over Colorado feels hollow because Alex Grinch isn’t doing his job.
Experts think Alex Grinch will prevent USC from making the Pac-12 Championship Game.
The coach who ripped Jordan Addison for transferring to USC is now staring at a humiliating season in Pittsburgh.