USC Morning Buzz: Weird Season Might Continue At Rose Bowl

jones-notre-dame-2016Will it feel weird if USC goes to the Rose Bowl without winning the Pac-12 or even the Pac-12 South? What about Ohio State going to the College Football Playoff without making the Big Ten championship game? This is college football circa 2016.

USC fans want to play Michigan but a more likely scenario is facing Penn State or Wisconsin. A rematch of last year’s Holiday Bowl vs. Wisconsin, even with Justin Wilcox, sounds b-o-r-i-n-g. At least Penn State’s James Franklin brings a little fire.

By the way, USC’s 9-3 record looks pretty good after that 1-3 start. You know who else is 9-3? Stanford. Not bad after a 3-2 start. But that is life in the Pac-12, where six teams have losing records. USC and Stanford could both end up 10-3 with bowl victories. If only Keller Chryst had started sooner. Just kidding.

42 thoughts on “USC Morning Buzz: Weird Season Might Continue At Rose Bowl

  1. Yes MI is all our choice in the Rose Bowl it would send Neilson ratings to the stratosphere. I sense the AP is licking it chops to stick it to the FBS just like they did back in 2003 should somehow someway AL lose.

  2. While this current CFB PO system does endow more opportunities for a shot at NC to two more teams compared to the dreaded BCS, it still stirs up much confusions and controversies with regard to which teams are more deserving of the spots at the time of the Committee selection. Of course, the fact that every game counts in CFB adds more importance and interests to each game. However, this system doesn’t recognize and honor the teams which are transformed in the middle of the season after a slow start, such as USC. What’s more, measuring the strength of a team purely based on the number of losses might sound fair and impartial, but even that’s flawed because not every loss is equal. All in all, the PO system has much room for improvement, and while we may never have a perfect system, making it an eight-team playoff might be a first step towards it, for it would give more opportunities for a spot to the teams like SC this season.

        • I’d even like a 10 team with a bottom four ‘play-in’ and the upper six with a bye like the NFL does.

          • I’m all for it, but I’m afraid it might extend the college football season too long, which would make the NFL folks a little uncomfortable.

          • I kind of feel like, screw the nfl folks. They think they are gods, they need to come down a notch.

          • The NFL should be paying all college programs a graduated annual stipend based on how many players each program sends to the NFL per the annual draft. Even the smallest schools would get a minimum payment.

            The same should be imposed on the NBA = American universities and colleges are both the NFL and NBA farm system.

            I could care less about offending the NFL and that frat boy Goodell. BTW thanks for blocking the Carson plan and having Kroenke and his pathetic ‘lambs’ in the driver seat.

        • I hated the BCS format where a one loss SC was pretty much eliminated from contention.
          I didn’t like it when OSU jumped TCU, after TCU won their game 51-3. It ended up looking like a good move after OSU won the National Title.

          • Yep, that was one of the most notorious situations under the BCS. The current PO system is better because it gives two more teams the chances, but it’d be even better to include four more teams.

    • I’m for an 8-team playoff too but there’s no way it would reduce the controversy? It would increase it dramatically. Instead of 2 or 3 teams claiming they got screwed out of a playoff spot you’d have 7 or 8.

      • There’s no question there’ll be controversies no matter what. But at least, it would give chances to four more teams to play in the PO.

  3. USC vs Michigan in the Rose Bowl would create more interest then the championship game . And btw, David Shaw is the best coach in the PAC 12

    • Rose Bowl would be Just rewards for the team’s strength.Equal to the accomplishment of the season.If we were to play Michigan,it would would receive nearly as much attention as championship game.Would set the momentum to 2017′

  4. I still cannot get over Ohio St @ #2. Penn St/Wisconsin winner should be put into #2 or #3 spot. Like USC, the losses should take a toll for OSU and Mich. They can’t even win their division. Get real. I like the 8 team format like realtrojan says.

    I cannot imagine who would be in the top 4 if Wolf was voting for it on the committee.

  5. An 8 team playoff system could work…

    First, moving up the schedule starts to mid August and finishing the season in early November, using the Thanksgiving weekend as conference championship games including the wednesday night thru saturday night..

    As the teams become indentified for the playoffs, December playoffs would be played while the lower tier bowl games begin.. With the winners being pooled to their specific bowls ..

    Like “example”

    Michigan vs USC going to the Rose Bowl

    And then the CHAMPIONSHIP GAME played the 3rd week of Jan vs the 2nd week.

    Its early ..confused?

    • FCS does a 24 team playoff and the guys still learn to read & write. I’m thinking an 8 team playoff is indeed possible.

      • It should have been done! Many teams on the bobble have the ability to beat any of the top 1-4 ..

  6. As long as Washington takes care of business on Friday night and USC does, in fact, end up in the Rose Bowl, all things considered, I’m perfectly fine with the situation. It’s definitely better for the Pac-12 both economically and competitively that it’s represented in the playoffs. The only scenario in which Washington makes the playoffs and USC plays in the Rose Bowl game is currently playing out.

  7. Since USC has beaten both teams in the Pac-12 title game, no it would not feel weird at all.

    A rematch with Wisconsin would not be boring at all. Maybe to jaded reporters it would be, but not to fans of both schools. But, yes, a game against Penn St. would be even better.

  8. SW, have you watched any of the Badgers’ games this season? And you would call them “boring”?! Who writes your material?

  9. I think SC’s record, though the same as Stanford’s, is enough to qualify it for the Rose. SC beat BOTH teams who will appear in the Pac12 Championship, and although Stanford beat SC, it was annihilated by both UW and WSU.
    Who cares WHO SC plays in the Rose…as long as they are awarded the opportunity?

  10. SW points out that the PAC 12 has 6 teams with losing records. The bottom of the league is really bad and I think overall the league is down this year. But lets not get too over our skis in knocking the league. The SEC & BIG 10 also have 6 teams with losing records. And the BIG 12 has 5—and oh yeah they only have 10 teams.

  11. College Football News: SC vs OK State, Alamo.

    CBS Sports: SC vs W.Virginia, Alamo

    SBNation: SC vs Wisconsin, Rose

    ESPN: SC vs Wisconsin, Rose

    Fox: SC vs OK State, Alamo

    Sporting News: SC vs W.Virginia, Alamo

  12. If UW beats CU on Friday, USC is in the Rose Bowl. free and clear. Would be nice, since we own the joint.

    With 3 losses, we can’t complain if UW or CU slip in ahead of us. I presume CU is in the RB if they beat UW. UW is in if they don’t make the Playoff even though they beat CU.

    Under the old system/s, USC would never have a RB shot with three losses this year. We can’t complain having messed up Sept so badly. It’s not like we can pretend it didn’t happen and just say we’re better now, so blow it off. CFB never has worked that way and I’m glad for that.

    I think UW/CU will be close, whomever wins. Both those teams have that “destiny” feel to them. Both were destined to lose to the Trojans too. Too bad STAN and UTAH ruined our plans. STAN beat us bad, has the same record, and is playing well again with McCaffrey healthy. If anyone should be complaining, it’s the Card.

  13. Lane Kiffen, or Steve Sarkisian should chase that San Jose State job. Because if they are as talented as they think they are, then they should have the success Mike McIntyer had .

    • The Kiffer would be a total fool to bite at SJS. Why would he do that when he’ll get much better offers, which you know he will.

      The Sark is just hoping The Kiffer moves on so he can move on with him or take over for him.

      Both are smart enough to know they couldn’t win at SJS. Give them that much credit at least.

  14. If Colorado loses to Washington they go to Rose Bowl . If Washington loses they go to the Cotton Bowl probably against Western Michigan

  15. The Pac-12 is a lot better than a lot of people say that they are. In the AP poll they have 3 teams in the top ten. The only other conference that has that is the Big-10 and they have two more teams to choose from than the Pac-12 has. The Pac-12 has 6 teams in the top 30.

  16. I see now why Wolf is still moaning about Darnold not starting the season at QB. With who is likely to go pro after this season, the team had its best chance to get into the playoffs at possibly just 1-loss (Alabama) and playing in the PAC-12 championship game.

  17. The cool of a January first day,
    The Band marching down Colorado, The B2 Flyover…
    Sold out Rose Bowl… The song girls dancing in the Arroyo Seco.
    The Trojans running on the field taking on
    Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere!
    Not weird, no quite the contrary…
    Order has been restored in the Universe!
    USC playing in January at the Rose Bowl!

    All is well in the world.

  18. Why don’t we just play football all year round? Oh yeah, these are student athletes and football is a brutal sport that monopolizes a player’s time and energy. Point is, all you knuckleheads that think that extending the season just for your entertainment is shameful. None of you guys probably played and therefore don’t give a rat’s behind about extending a season. Let the players recover as the season is too long already.

  19. Wolf conveniently leaves out the fact that Stanford BEAT the Trojans, so with both teams at 9-3, the Rose Committee should look at head-to-head, meaning Stanford would play Penn State and USC would go to the Holiday Bowl against a healthy Iowa team.

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