COLUMN: Kessler holds the key for the Trojans


We’ve known since the blowout win over Utah that USC was one Ute loss away from controlling its own destiny in the hunt for the Pac-12 South title. After handing Utah its first loss of the season, we’ve patiently waited for another Pac-12 team to beat the Utes, and finally, one day after the Trojans extended their win streak to four games, the Arizona Wildcats upset the Utes 37-30.

I had faith that someone would come along and spoil Utah’s one loss season, but I assumed it would happen this Saturday when they face the Bruins. To make last weekend even better, UCLA lost to Washington State.

That’s not to say that the Trojans have an easy road ahead. They still have to win their final two games of the season against Oregon and UCLA. Oregon is certainly far from where they were last season, but have improved tremendously this season and just upset Stanford, the team likely to win the Pac-12 North.

Utah’s loss opened the door for both UCLA and USC. Whichever of the three teams wins out is the team that will win the South. While USC battles Oregon in Eugene this weekend, UCLA and Utah will duke it out in Salt Lake City.

Stanford is one win away from clinching the Pac-12 North, so whichever team comes out of the South will have to face a very good Stanford team. Last time USC met Stanford, they were handed their first loss of the season and the trajectory of their season changed.

Since interim head coach Clay Helton took over, however, the Trojans seem like a far cry from the team that lost to Washington. He’s slowed down the offense and relied more on the run game, and so far, his strategy is undefeated.

Though USC is riding a   four-game win streak, they have looked fragile in a handful of these wins. With the exception of the blowout over Utah, the Trojans haven’t won by more than eight points. They only beat Cal by six and barely beat Colorado by a field goal.

The Trojans cannot afford to play the way they have in their last three games if they want to beat Oregon and especially UCLA. Oregon has a four-game win streak of its own, including wins over Cal, Arizona State and Stanford. Oregon is a reenergized team that is more reminiscent of the Marcus Mariota era than the way they looked at the beginning of the season.

And if USC is able to leave Eugene with a win, they’ll still have UCLA waiting for them when they get back to Los Angeles. UCLA is in the same boat, just two wins away from the Pac-12 championship game. Josh Rosen is the best freshman in college football and has the skills and supporting talent to beat the Trojans for a fourth straight year. Cody Kessler will need to play like a redshirt senior to beat the Bruins. He, however, has been less of a presence this season than last and will need to channel last season’s success to beat Oregon and UCLA.

The good news for the Trojans is that the defense, which caused a lot of problems last season, has looked very good this season. The offense has stalled recently, and Kessler needs to fire up the offense and win out. The Men of Troy have overcome so much adversity already and pulling off wins against conference rivals would be the perfect ending to the season and Kessler’s career.

Regan Estes is a junior majoring in public relations and Spanish. She is also the sports editor of the Daily Trojan. Her column, “Wild Wild Westes,” runs Tuesdays.