USC Trojans Football: Caleb Williams Keeps Hope Alive Amid Declining Playoff Odds

Do the Trojans still have a shot at the playoffs?

Coming into the 2023 college football season, USC looked to be one of the best teams in the nation. 

With an unstoppable offense led by Heisman winner Caleb Williams, people everywhere were picking the Trojans to make the College Football Playoffs. 

Fast forward eight weeks, USC has lost back-to-back games against Notre Dame and Utah. Now at 6-2, the Trojans' chances of being one of the last four teams remaining in college football seem nonexistent. 

Although his campaign for back-to-back Hesimans is most likely over, Williams believes that his team still has a slim chance of making the playoff, which he revealed to Kaiden Smith of On3:

"We’re halfway through the season and you don’t necessarily know what’s gonna happen,” Williams said. “You’ve seen a lot of ranked teams lose, you’ve seen a lot of close games with ranked teams, and right now there’s a lot of one-loss teams and not so many lossless teams. You keep going, you keep fighting.”

via 

Kaiden Smith, On3

If USC has any chance of being a two-loss team to make the playoffs, the schedule works out in its favor. 

In the remaining four games of the season, USC plays No. 5 Washington, No. 8 Oregon, No. 23 UCLA and Cal. If they can win out, the Trojans could have an outside chance of still making the playoffs. 

USC is going to need a lot of help around the country if they do win out, as many of the top teams have not been losing the games needed to ensure USC sees the postseason. 

While it is not likely for the Trojans to make the playoffs, some players are holding out hope. Williams providing hope to his team is a good sign that he will be ready to step up when the time comes. 

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