USC football is easily the most accomplished program in the history of the Pac-12. Nothing can ever change that. No other program comes especially close to matching the Trojans’ body of work over the full length of the Pac-12’s existence. One of the few other programs which can boast a national championship and a significant presence in the top tier of the Pac-12 is Washington. The Huskies aren’t in the same league as USC, but they have established themselves as one of the best non-USC programs in the conference.
As the Pac-12 comes to an end, what are some of USC football’s best wins against Washington? One of them has to be 2016, when Sam Darnold went into Husky Stadium and sillenced the previously unbeaten Huskies. That win enabled USC to make and eventually win the Rose Bowl over Penn State.
Another top win is 1984, which we wrote about:
“Has USC ever prevented UW from winning it all? The answer is yes.
“In 1984, Washington finished No. 2 behind No. 1 BYU. The reason why the Huskies couldn’t rise above the Cougars in the final rankings — even though they had a much tougher schedule and bigger wins, such as the 1985 Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma — was that USC dealt Washington a loss. The Trojans defeated Washington, 16-7, on November 10, 1984, in the Los Angeles Coliseum. The year 1984 was marked by the Los Angeles Olympics. This was a final mountaintop moment for the venerable Coliseum in a landmark year for L.A. sports.”
The win was big for another reason as well: It enabled USC to win the Pac-10 title and go to the 1985 Rose Bowl, where the Trojans defeated Ohio State. This was USC’s only Pac-10 title in a seven-season span from 1980 through 1986.
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