It is true that perception can often mean as much as reality, sometimes even more. People might think that the reality of a situation is stable and positive, but if perceptions are negative, outsiders or neutral parties could act in ways which create the impression that any organization or cause is in deep trouble. The power of narrative is real and should not be discarded. However, acknowledging the power of a narrative — whether reflective of reality or not — does not mean a person should cower in fear of a narrative. Such is the case for USC football and its fans.
On a recent USC call-in show at The Voice of College Football, Trojans Wire took USC fan calls and discussed, among other things, the possibility that the Trojans will make the 2024 College Football Playoff but will get absolutely demolished (losing by 30 or more) in the first round. Some people feel that the negative narrative produced by a blowout loss would offset the good achieved by making the playoff in the first place. This is what it means to live in fear of the narrative.
USC hasn’t made the playoff once. Making it would be huge. Moreover — and this is the key point — no one currently sees USC as being ready to play with the true heavyweights. That might take one or two more years. If USC gets to the playoff and then takes a beatdown, it wouldn’t mean USC is an unserious program. It would mean the Trojans overachieved to make the playoff and then had their weaknesses predictably exposed. USC would have taken a few steps forward but would have seen how far it still is from being able to legitimately compete for the brass ring. Getting exposed once in the playoff after a great 10-2 season would be different from being exposed on a weekly basis the way the Trojans were last year. The narrative surrounding a playoff blowout wouldn’t be the same as the narrative we have dealt with since October of 2023.
Don’t let the narrative win. USC’s narrative would be far better as a result of making the playoff, regardless of how the playoff game would unfold.
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