Cotton Bowl confirmed: USC Trojans will play Tulane in Texas
It's official: Lincoln Riley's USC Trojans will play Tulane in the Cotton Bowl.
The Cotton Bowl berth was expected after USC's loss to Utah in the Pac-12 championship game, and it was confirmed Sunday morning by Cotton Bowl officials.
The Cotton Bowl is scheduled for January 2 in Arlington, Texas at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys. Tulane (11-2) beat Central Florida 45-28 on Saturday to win the AAC championship.
The Cotton Bowl is a New Year's Six bowl game, along with the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl. The other two New Year's Six bowls are part of the College Football Playoff - the Fiesta Bowl and Peach Bowl.
The game is a month away, but USC already faces several questions entering the matchup. The biggest question?
Will Caleb Williams play?
Williams suffered a hamstring injury in the Pac-12 championship game loss to Utah. He played through the injury for most of three quarters, and clearly wasn't healthy.
Hamstring injuries can take several weeks to heal and it's a safe bet Riley and his staff won't risk exposing Williams to further injury in a relatively meaningless game.
Then there's the long list of USC players who will be entering the NFL Draft in the spring, notably wide receiver Jordan Addison. Will Addison risk injury playing in a non-playoff game?
The other healthy NFL Draft prospects on USC's roster include Tuli Tuipulotu, Andrew Vorhees, Austin Jones, Shane Lee, Courtland Ford and Mekhi Blackmon.
The Trojans' depth will be tested against Tulane.
