Why USC fans should be rooting for Georgia to beat Tennessee in SEC showdown

If Tennessee beats Georgia, #USC’s playoff hopes aren’t automatically finished, but it would certainly be the less favorable outcome.

This Saturday, USC hosts Cal in a late-night game which is certainly important, but doesn’t figure to be remotely close. The eyes of the nation will be focused not on the Pac-12, but on the titanic tussle between Tennessee and Georgia, two teams ranked in the top three of the initial College Football Playoff standings.

As Pac-12 teams, TCU, and Clemson all consider their chances of making the playoff, they are all wondering if it’s better for Tennessee or Georgia to win this game.

USC fans can relate to what Tennessee is doing this year. Like Tennessee, USC football has been mediocre and irrelevant for a long time. (Yes, we know it has been much longer for the Vols, but the experiences are still obviously similar.) This year, both programs have risen from the ashes. Josh Heupel has been absolutely brilliant, bringing a high-octane offense to Knoxville and transforming a program with elite quarterback play, something Tennessee had not focused on in previous coaching hires such as Derek Dooley, Butch Jones, and Jeremy Pruitt.

We at Trojans Wire congratulate the Vols on their season. We obviously see the similarities between UT and USC. Now is where we part company, however. It’s nothing personal, but USC needs Georgia to beat Tennessee this weekend.

We’ll explain why: