Can USC Trojans Become Bowl Eligible? Nebraska, UCLA, Notre Dame Remain

The USC Trojans dropped to 4-5 on the season after Saturday night's loss to the Washington Huskies. With the regular season winding down, the Trojans need to win at least two of their final three games vs. Nebraska, UCLA, and Notre Dame just to become bowl eligible.

Sep 21, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley on the sideline in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans walked off the field of the season opener at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas feeling great about the year ahead after pulling off the upset victory over then No. 13 LSU Tigers. It was one of the brightest spots in the Lincoln Riley era.

USC reached as high as No. 11 in the AP Poll and appeared to be a contender in the Big Ten, ready to compete for a spot in the brand new 12-team College Football Playoff. 

Sep 21, 2024; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley on the sideline in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Instead, the Trojans have since dropped to 4-5 on the season after falling to the Washington Huskies 26-21 Saturday. USC fell behind 20-7 at halftime, but two touchdown passes from quarterback Miller Moss on their first two possessions of the second half gave the Trojans a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Washington regained the lead with a four-yard touchdown run from Keith Reynolds and never relinquished it after stopping the Trojans twice in the red zone late in the fourth quarter, including a fourth and goal on the one-yard line. 

“Whether you separate or whether it comes down the end, we expect to win,” Riley said. 

USC has led in the fourth quarter of every game this season but are sitting with five losses, all by single-digits. 

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. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

“We’ve kind of had the anomaly of a year,” Riley said. “Normally these things end up over time going about 50/50 on these games that come down to one play and we’ve happened to have the year that not too many of them went our way.”

With three games remaining on the schedule, USC is in danger of missing a bowl game. So what does the rest of the season look like for the Trojans?

They enter a critical bye week that will give them an opportunity to get some players healthy before hosting the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Nov. 16. 

“We certainly need to get healthier, which this bye week will help to give us a chance to be full steam ahead for this last stretch,” Riley said.

The Cornhuskers will also have a bye week to regroup. Since starting the season 5-1, Matt Rhule's squad have dropped each of their last three contests. Nebraska is fighting to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2016.

USC will then face their crosstown rivals, the UCLA Bruins on Nov. 23. After starting the season 1-5, the Bruins have found some momentum, winning each of their last two games. UCLA will take on Iowa and Washington, before hosting USC. 

The Trojans will host the No. 10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish to close at the regular season on Nov. 30. Notre Dame has reeled off six straight wins since their upset loss to Northern Illinois in week 2. The Irish have outscored their opponents 256-68 in that span. 

Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA;Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) carries the ball during the first half against the Navy Midshipmen at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

“I mean we've had a chance to win every single game in the fourth quarter we've played, and we've played far away the most difficult schedule three years and I've been here," said Riley.

The next two home games are very important, not just in the win column but for the future of the program as they will both big recruiting weekends for the Trojans.

If USC is unable to win two of their next three games it will be the third time since 2018, they failed to reach a bowl game, not including the 2020 season where they opted because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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