USC Football: Bowl Projections

The USC Trojans played their final regular season game last week and now will play the waiting game for their postseason fate. A Utah loss to Colorado would put the Trojans in the Pac-12 Championship game to face No. 14 Oregon. Should the Trojans win the Pac-12 title, then they will make a return to Pasadena, CA for the Rose Bowl Game. Now if Utah were to win out, that would mean the Trojans will have to wait to see where they go for bowl season. It also narrows things down to two locations.

Alamo Bowl

In the scenario (the most likely one as it stands) that Utah and Oregon play in a New Year Six Bowl game, the Trojans would find themselves making their way to San Antonio, Texas for the Alamo Bowl. Due to contractual obligations the Trojans would have to play in San Antonio. Why you ask? The Alamo Bowl hosts the second highest Pac-12 team which in the case would be No. 23 USC. The Trojans would be matched up with the Big 12’s second choice. This would mark USC’s first trip to San Antonio, Texas. However the state of Texas have not been very kind to the Trojans as of late.

Projected match up:

CBS Sports- vs Kansas State

USAToday- vs Baylor

SI- vs Iowa State

ESPN: Kyle Bonagura- vs Baylor

Holiday Bowl

In the event of the Pac-12 only having one team playing in a New Year 6 bowl game, USC will make another trip to San Diego for the Holiday Bowl. This would mean Oregon or Utah playing in the Rose Bowl with the other being snubbed from the Cotton Bowl and landing in the Alamo Bowl. That would mean the Holiday Bowl would pick up the Trojans for the third time ever for a match up with the No. 4 Big Ten team. This would likely happen if Utah wins the Pac-12 Championship and gets snubbed from the College Football Playoff or Oregon wins and Utah gets passed over for the at large spot in the Cotton Bowl. USC is 1-1 in the Holiday Bowl, beating Nebraska in 2014 and losing to Wisconsin in 2015.

Projected Matchups:

ESPN: Mark Schlabach- vs Michigan

Athlon Sports- vs Iowa