USC Football: Path To Las Vegas Bowl Not A Sure Thing For Trojans

The Trojans could find themselves playing in a lower-tier bowl game.

Your USC Trojans entered the season expecting to reach the College Football Playoff after getting so close a year ago. They felt that they had fixed their issues on defense, and they were ready to take that next step forward.

However, as they walked off the field this past weekend for the final time in the regular season, it was any but what the team expected for themselves. USC finished the year losing five of their last six contests, and they ended the year with a record of 7-5.

Due to their record and poor finish to the season, it's likely that the Trojans will end up playing in a lower-tiered bowl game. Even the Las Vegas Bowl isn't a sure thing for them, depending on how the slate of games this weekend shakes out.

Bowl expert Brett McMurphy of The Action Network has the Trojans landing in the Sun Bowl, but that could change if the Bruins were to lose this weekend to the Cal Golden Bears and the Colorado Buffalos upset the Utah Utes.

Bowl expert @Brett_McMurphy has UCLA in LA Bowl, USC in Sun Bowl and Utah in Las Vegas Bowl. If UCLA beats Cal & Colorado upsets Utah, the Bruins probably climb to the Las Vegas Bowl. But Utah travels much better and has cachet of being two-time defending Pac-12 champion.

— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) November 21, 2023

Even with these two favorable outcomes, the Trojans still may not be able to make the Las Vegas Bowl. They lost to both UCLA and Utah, and they would all have the same record, which could push the Trojans down even further.

It was a frustrating season all around for the Trojans, and multiple players may not even play in whatever bowl game they get, choosing to sit out to avoid injury. They will make a bowl game, but the team could look very different than the one that just walked off the field this weekend.

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