The USC Trojans had not lost a Pac-12 game before Saturday night’s 34-32 loss to Utah. Yet, the absence of a Pac-12 loss did not mean USC was producing a good season. The Trojans weren’t playing well. As soon as they went up against better opponents, the path was going to get a lot tougher. Sure enough, USC couldn’t even beat Utah at home with the Utes missing Cam Rising at quarterback, Brant Kuithe at tight end, and (for the first half) Cole Bishop at safety. Utah had to play backups at multiple positions, but the Utes were still better and tougher than the Trojans. USC was as close as it was only because Utah made a ton of mistakes in its own right.
The Trojans aren’t good, and they aren’t ready to win big. Their season is on life support. One more Pac-12 loss will knock them out of the conference championship chase.
Here are the Pac-12 football standings after Week 8: