How Will USC Trojans Respond After Losing to Penn State Nittany Lions?

The USC Trojans are sitting at a disappointing 3-3 record and have lost three of their last four games. Can they turn their season around despite a rough start?

Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Miller Moss (7) throws a pass against the Penn State Nittany Lions at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After Saturday's 33-30 loss to Penn State, the USC Trojans effectively saw their slim chances of making the College Football Playoff all but disappear. With six games left, the Trojans season isn't technically over, but a chance of playoff glory is. Factor in that only 12 teams are selected, three losses should knock out USC from playoff contention. Now, a new question dawns over the USC program.

What's next?

The next three games for the Trojans should be fairly winnable. However, each week seems to be a mystery on how the Trojans are going to perform.

Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver Duce Robinson (2) runs the ball after a complete pass before he is stopped by Penn State Nittany Lions safety Zakee Wheatley (6) in the second half at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

USC will travel to Maryland next week, in a game that has ESPN BET the Trojans as a -7 favorite. USC should be able to handle the Terrapins, but Big Ten road games haven't been friendly to the Trojans, especially games to established Big Ten teams, like Michigan and Minnesota.

The Terrapins suffered an ugly loss to a struggling Northwestern team, which should give USC promise that they will roll over their fellow 3-3 Big Ten foe.

The Trojans will host Rutgers for a Friday-night game in the following week on Oct. 25. The Scarlet Knights jumped out to a 4-0 start, but they have since cooled off after suffering back-to-back losses to Nebraska and Wisconsin. USC should be able to handle the Scarlet Knights, considering Rutgers has to make a 5,000 mile trek to Los Angeles for the game.

Then comes a big matchup at Washington on Nov. 2. The Huskies haven't had the best season this year after losing in the championship game to Michigan last year, but after coach Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama, things haven't been exactly peachy in Seattle. Washington currently sits at 4-3, but owns a win over Michigan. Current Huskies' coach Jedd Fisch nearly upset the Trojans at the Coliseum last year when he was the head coach at Arizona, but USC was able to use a great second-half comeback to pick up the win.

Oct 12, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) holds on to the ball for a short gain in the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The last three games of the season could give the Trojans problems if they don't learn from their mistakes in their three losses. Nebraska, UCLA, and Notre Dame round out the Trojans schedule for the end of the year.

If USC finds their stride again, they could easily be 6-3 and possibly ranked heading into their Nov. 16 home game vs. Nebraska. The Cornhuskers have a tough stretch of Indiana, Ohio State, and UCLA before playing the Trojans in Southern California.

USC closes their season out with their historic rivalry games vs. UCLA and Notre Dame. USC head coach Lincoln Riley is 1-1 against both teams in his third year at USC. With how bad things have been in Westwood, USC looks to be in prime position to regain the Victory Bell after losing it last year in embarrassing fashion in a 38-20 loss at the Coliseum.

As of Oct. 13, Notre Dame remains the only ranked team that the Trojans have scheduled. The Fighting Irish have shown two different sides of themselves. They had an emphatic road win at Texas A&M to start the season off but were upset by Northern Illinois the very next week. With the game being played in Los Angeles, it's possible that the Trojans could earn back their second rivalry trophy this season in the Jeweled Shillelagh.

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