While USC's 4 - 5 record against Group 1 is better than UCLA's 3 - 7 mark, the Bruins have a pair of top 20 wins, while the Trojans best victories came over Middle Tennessee and New Mexico State during Christmas week in Hawaii.
While USC, Virginia Tech and Michigan are the finalists, the Wolverines look to be the clear favorites to land the 6 - foot - 4, 240 - pounder.
Injury watch: Ohio State OLB Dante Booker is questionable with a concussion,
while USC could be without DE Porter Gustin (doubtful), RT Chuma Edoga (questionable), WR Velus Jones Jr. (questionable), and CB Jack Jones (questionable).
While USC players will be watching the NCAA tournament from home (barring an epic tourney run), the Bruins still have a lot to play for.
And we know that
while USC has played poorly enough in 2013 to get its coach fired before the end of September, UCLA has played better than all but three or four teams in the country so far this season.
The Bruins rank 23rd in Standard Downs S&P +
while USC's defense ranks just 49th.
While USC is the leader in Jones» Crystal Ball predictions, the most recent pick, from Brian Perroni of 247sports, is for the Wolverines.
While USC's Marshall School is handing out the highest average MBA scholarships in the nation, MIT Sloan now offers the biggest financial aid packages of any business school that publicly reports these numbers.
Not exact matches
What scouts like:
USC has developed its share of quarterback prospects over the years, and Darnold could be the best one in a
while.
While attending
USC, Kara took her first Pilates and yoga classes and instantly fell in love with the positivity and energy found in the fitness studio.
Both girls love football days too and the three of them usually root for one team,
while I am alone in rooting for the underdog, (or any team playing against
USC!).
In the 2003 season, the BCS title game, Coaches Poll, and National Football Foundation decided LSU was the champion,
while the Associated Press and Football Writers Association of America decided it was
USC.
While talking with media on Monday, Jim Harbaugh says former five - star and
USC RB Ty Isaac is currently in the «dog house».
And
while Leinart needed a little help on his last offensive play, his fourth - down throw to Dwayne Jarrett to keep
USC alive was a thing of beauty.
After a 20 - 17 loss to
USC dropped Notre Dame to 2 - 5 last fall, Colletto told a couple of reporters that he hardly watches the game
while in the press box.
And
while Oregon has long been the definitive warp - speed program, the Ducks have never topped
USC in the recruiting rankings and probably never will.
USC and Notre Dame fell out of the polls after losses to UCLA and Stanford, respectively,
while Duke saw a small climb in its ranking, and Texas managed to return to the bottom of the polls after a dominating victory over Texas Tech.
Other assistants showed films of OU players running the
USC offense,
while Oklahoma's players sat attentively and shouted, «I've got him,» «Direction,» «East,» «Cover,» «West, West.»
While I now regret failing to set up a Trojans vs. Trojans battle in the Sweet 16 — who looks more athletic,
USC's Tommy Trojan or Troy University's T - Roy?
There was no Appalachian State - Michigan or Stanford -
USC in «84, and
while 1990 included an AP No. 1 (Virginia) that hadn't been top - 10 since the «50s, all of 1984's No. 1s had been contenders in recent years.
Notre Dame and Alabama met high expectations, and
while «67 had Wyoming and Oregon State in the year - end top seven, national champ
USC tamped down the crazy.
It seems disingenuous for the NCAA to rebuke these I [hearts] L.A. practices
while it profited from
USC's visibility and high TV ratings.
Due in part to the perceived strength of its schedule, Oklahoma got to play
USC in the national championship game,
while Auburn won the Sugar Bowl and Utah won the Fiesta Bowl.
While Nordin has an upcoming visit to
USC scheduled, Michigan is believed to be the heavy favorite for the Rockford (MI.)
However, Darnold carried a lot of the weight for the
USC offense, ranked No. 6 in passer rating among Power 5 QBs in games against teams with winning records, and threw for 4,143 yards and 31 touchdowns
while rushing for another five TDs as a short - yardage option.
The Ducks can boost their case by topping
USC in Las Vegas,
while in St. Louis, the Bulldogs will aim to keep their hopes alive by denting Tennessee's hopes for a two or three seed (7 p.m., SEC Network).
While I discussed the Oregon -
USC nightcap above, UCLA has a lot to play for in the first game of the night, against the top - seeded Arizona Wildcats (9 p.m., Pac - 12 Networks).
Howard Jones» tenure at
USC was still on the rise — the Trojans would go 30 -2-1 from 1931 - 33 — but
while the defense would improve in the coming years, there was no improving on what the offense produced in the final year of the 1920s.
The Huskies could have a 13th game, the Pac - 12 Championship, in which to pad the resume and / or perhaps avenge their loss to
USC,
while WVU won't.
He's willing to adapt (tempo was not a thing for him at
USC, even though it should have been), and he's showing that,
while keeping cards as close to the vest as possible, he's got tricks to unveil with this ridiculous set of personnel.
Rivals» Chris Balas reports that,
while a decision date is still unknown at the time, it shouldn't be long before the No. 89 recruit in the country decides between the Wolverines,
USC and Virginia Tech.
But two teams play each game, and
while the national narrative might be «
USC disappoints again,» from a stat perspective, Stanford impressed more than
USC disappointed.
A former All - American herself, she competed in the NCAA Championships meet all four years
while at
USC and helped the Trojans to four consecutive NCAA top - 10 finishes.
It's been two years since former
USC Trojans running back Reggie Bush was stripped of his 2005 Heisman Trophy due to NCAA sanctions, but
while his title was vacated, he made sure to hang on to the physical trophy.
In preseason national rankings,
USC has been as high as No. 2 behind Alabama
while the Huskies have generally been between No. 8 and No. 10.
One of the more memorable things he did as the
USC interim was host the «Trojan Bowl» during a practice: the third - stringers and walk - ons got dressed in pads,
while the older players directed practice for them.
While Arizona ranks among the top 16 and the
USC Trojans look increasingly safe, the Arizona State Sun Devils haven't won consecutive games since their 12 - 0 start and the Washington Huskies look very bubbly.
Some like Josh Rosen of UCLA,
while others like his crosstown rival Sam Darnold of
USC.
Penn State in 1981 got sent to play
USC in the Fiesta Bowl
while eventual national champion Clemson drew Nebraska.
USC over SMU was the biggest upset as they reached +890 on the live moneyline,
while 11 - seeds overall were 3 - 1 ATS and SU.
While the Fighting Irish defeated
USC 41 - 31, things didn't go...
While the Fighting Irish defeated
USC 41 - 31, things didn't go quite as planned for the Wolverines.
USC over SMU was the biggest upset as they reached +890 on the live moneyline,
while...
New Orleans has dropped from -2 to -1.5
while both public and sharp money have moved
USC from a pick»em to -3.
In our Week 8 Line Moves That Matter, we identified sharp money on Clemson -LRB--6.5), Mississippi -LRB--6) and
USC -LRB--3.5)
while pointing to potential contrarian value on Rutgers.
Sam Darnold returned from his Rose Bowl star turn in 2016, poised to lead
USC to a national title
while positioning himself to be next spring's No. 1 draft pick.
Oklahoma had a blowout win over Tulane
while Louisville got crushed by Clemson at home, and
USC struggled at home (again) with Texas.
While the SEC hired Nick Saban assistants and the Big Ten and
USC hired interims, the ACC went out and grabbed established head coaches with records of winning.
USC and Washington State were both drastically reliant on efficiency and were pretty big - play deficient last year,
while Arizona was the opposite.
Sam Darnold (
USC) went fifth overall to the Denver Broncos,
while Baker Mayfield went 13th overall to the Washington Redskins.