USC and Oklahoma both lived on the edge Saturday; the Trojans were luckier

We won’t revel in Oklahoma’s misfortune, because USC has a lot to improve on. The Trojans need to focus on their business and avoid upsets such as the one OU endured.

Yes, lots of USC fans were giddy with delight when Oklahoma and Brent Venables lost to Kansas State on Saturday night. We can do the simple math here: Lincoln Riley’s replacement lost a game at Oklahoma before Lincoln Riley lost a game at USC. Riley hasn’t lost a game yet. Trojan fans were undeniably thrilled.

You will note that we didn’t gloat … and we aren’t going to, either.

In case you haven’t noticed, this college football season is volatile. It feels very unstable, which — to be honest — is fantastic. So many recent seasons have felt like coronations of Alabama or Georgia or Clemson. Sure, there was some unpredictability in the middle tiers of the sport, but at the top, everything felt stable.

That doesn’t seem true this year. Georgia got a battle from Kent State. Alabama easily could have lost to a not-very-good Texas team which just lost to Texas Tech. Notre Dame is not a good team, but it pushed Ohio State on the road.

There’s a lot more to say about USC, Oklahoma, and the new world of college football as September ends: