The USC Trojans were just a few plays away from finishing the season with a New Year’s Six bowl victory against the Tulane Green Wave in the Cotton Bowl.
Instead, they boarded the plane back to L.A. full of heartbreak and thinking about what could have been.
Shortly after that loss, Lincoln Riley and his team were back in the USC training facilities getting ready for next season.
What Riley said in one of those meetings was definitely interesting and a sign of things to come in 2023 and beyond:
“You are absolutely ready for it, no doubt in my mind. Let’s go close that gap between where we’re at and what we know is possible for this group, which is anything. So don’t you dare put limits on that.”
Closing the gap is what the Trojans need to do going forward.
Entering December, they were a Pac-12 title game victory away from a spot in the College Football Playoff. Then, Caleb Williams got injured, and all hope was lost.
The Cotton Bowl came and USC had a large lead and appeared to be a winner before they collapsed in the final four minutes and let Tulane surge back.
Here’s the thing: If USC can close the gap, this team can play in the College Football Playoff before heading to the Big Ten in 2024.
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