USC’s Biggest Challenges Come After Notre Dame
This is a week of tradition for USC, but the game against Oregon in a few weeks means a lot more about a bowl bid.
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LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 29: Tailback Marc Tyler #26 of the USC Trojans runs past Robert Blanton #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the game against at the Memorial Coliseum on November 29, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. USC defeated Notre Dame 38-3. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
USC versus. Notre Dame is the best of college football tradition. It is Knute Rockne and John McKay, Anthony Davis and Rocket Ismail, it is two national power programs not ducking each other and taking on the best.
And it is not the biggest game left on USC’s schedule.
While a loss this week would certainly knock USC out of the BCS title game picture, it would not knock them out of the BCS all together. But the matchup two weeks after that against Oregon is bigger because it could do both — lose to the Ducks and for the first time in years USC would be out of the BCS entirely.
And Oregon is better than Notre Dame anyway. While some may want to argue that Notre Dame beat Washington and Washington beat USC, ergo Notre Dame should beat USC, their logic would be flawed.
If you can be an unimpressive 4-1, Notre Dame is it. They have needed last-second heroics to beat pedestrian teams like Michigan State and Purdue, and the Washington win went to overtime. They lost last second to Michigan. Their games have been entertaining, but don't confuse that with good.
Notre Dame has a punchers chance in any game because they have a very good offense. Quarterback Jimmy Clausen has finally come into his own, making good decisions and sharp passes. They have good backs (like Armando Allen) and receivers (Golden Tate). Most of all, they are confident now — something those late game heroics can give you. They will go down swinging.
But their defense has failed to stop any team outside the state of Nevada, and that may have been a fluke. The Irish tackling has been less than impressive; they have given up 4.5 yards per rush. And they have not faced anything like the weapons USC will bring to South Bend.
What USC cannot do is get a high after a big interconference win then go out and lay an egg the next week — that is the Washington loss, and after Notre Dame comes a pretty good Oregon State team for the Trojans.
Then one week later is a trip up to Oregon to take on a Ducks team that looked terrible in a season-opening loss to Boise State and has looked fantastic ever since. Oregon is 3-0 in the Pac-10, they are the team in the conference drivers seat.
That is the game that may well determine who plays in Pasadena on New Years Day. And that, despite the hype and tradition of playing Notre Dame this weekend, may be the Trojans biggest game of the year.
