No. 16 USC football will play in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Dec. 30 against TCU to finish its season and go for the second 10-win season of Head Coach Lincoln Riley’s tenure.

The Alamo Bowl has been a matchup between top available Pacific-12 and Big 12 teams for most of its 33-year span, but the Trojans (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten) were still eligible despite their move to the Big Ten due to a legacy tie-in that is set to end after this season. Although it has been eligible for the bowl for the last 21 years, USC has never played in the game; TCU (8-4, 5-4 Big 12) is 2-0 all-time in the game.

No. 12 BYU (11-2, 8-1 Big 12) was USC’s expected matchup, as the bowl gets the first choice of non-playoff Big 12 teams. The Cougars, like the Trojans, were both likely one loss from a College Football Playoff berth; however, the Horned Frogs, who finished in a tie for seventh place in the Big 12, were selected instead, presumably because BYU played in the Alamo Bowl last season.

TCU holds the all-time advantage over USC with a 3-2 record, with their most recent meeting being the 1998 Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, that saw the Horned Frogs handle the Trojans 28-19. This time, the Trojans are the clear favorites after beating two ranked teams, handling other competitive Big Ten programs and nearly making the CFP while TCU only had one ranked win over No. 21 Houston (9-3, 6-3 Big 12) and finished near the middle of the less-prominent Big 12.

This year’s TCU squad is led by gunslinging junior quarterback Josh Hoover, who amassed over 3,400 passing yards and 29 touchdowns this season, though he also led the conference in interceptions with 13. On the other side, the Horned Frogs’ total pass defense is among the worst USC has faced all season at 70th, meaning it may be a shootout in Texas whether it is redshirt junior quarterback Jayden Maiava or someone else under center for the Trojans.

Many of the pieces that led the Trojans to a near-CFP season will likely not participate in the bowl game. Injuries will likely sideline players like redshirt sophomore left tackle Elijah Paige and redshirt junior center Kilian O’Connor. Multiple Trojans who are expected to declare for the NFL Draft, including junior wide receiver Makai Lemon, may opt out of bowl play to protect themselves from injury, and many others may join the already nine-person list of players planning to enter the transfer portal when it open in January. 

Currently, the group leaving for the portal is headlined by sophomore running back Bryan Jackson, who scored four touchdowns for USC this season, and redshirt sophomore guard Micah Banuelos, who played a major role on the offensive line when injuries hit the unit throughout the season, though the list will likely expand before the bowl game.

“We’ve got some guys obviously that are looking to make decisions on this bowl … I think that’ll clarify here in the next few weeks,” Riley said in a news conference about the bowl selection Sunday. “But, I don’t have any announcements as of right now.”

In their place, USC will likely rely on young players who didn’t get significant playtime during the regular season to fill the gaps when they take to the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, at 8 p.m. on Dec. 30.