Will Utah's Cold Weather Affect USC?

With a 2-0 record going into week three of Pac-12 football, USC remains the favorite to win Saturdays game against the Utah Utes with just hours until kickoff. However, there are a few uncontrollable factors such as time, weather, and field material that could impact the way USC plays football tonight.

Late Night Kick

Tonights 7:30 PM PST/ 8:30 PM MT kickoff is the latest game for the Trojans since USC welcomed Wisconsin to the Coliseum at 8:30 PM all the way back in 1955. This will likely be the Trojans' latest kickoff of the season, and quite a change from the past two weeks which both premiered before 1:00 PM. To add, the Trojans hold a record for 181-67-4 at night games, including 59-29 on the road.

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Cold Weather

Expect to see some shivering in Salt Lake City tonight. With cold temps hitting around 36 degrees prior to kickoff at Rice Eccles Stadium. USC is 13-12-1 in cold weather games. To add, the last time USC played a game in cold weather temps was against Colorado on the road in 2019. The Trojans won 35-31 despite temps falling in the mid-40s.

Artificial Turf

Although this shouldn't be too big of an influencing factor tonight it's important to note that Rice Eccles Stadium field is made up of artificial turf, while the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is grass. USC is 45-30-1 in its last 75 games on artificial turf.

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