The End Zone: USC and the Pac-12 prepare for a make-or-break weekend

Utah vs. Florida. Oregon vs. Georgia. There’s an appreciable irony in two of the three Pac-12 title contenders facing out-of-conference powerhouses on opening weekend. 

The Pac-12 was dragged through the mud all summer, with critics endlessly discussing how bleak their financial situation looked and prophesying their impending irrelevancy. Now, in the very first week, the Pac-12’s most impressive teams (which did not undergo realignment) will have a chance to make a statement to the nation in prime time. 

In the words of Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham, “It’s important for the Pac-12 to make noise on the national scene whenever we get opportunities like that…we have to make the most of it. If you want to gain respect, gain national attention, you got to come out and win some of those games.”

Unfortunately for Pac-12 fans or those who hate the SEC, Utah and Oregon face uphill battles.

Utah will enter the Swamp nine months after falling to Ohio State 48-45 in a very memorable Rose Bowl. Besides last year’s Ohio State team, Florida is the toughest opponent Utah has faced since joining the Pac-12 a decade ago. Nonetheless, the Utes have a solid chance here.

Utah really found their stride last season when redshirt junior quarterback Cameron Rising began to start under center week 4. Since then, they haven’t looked back, winning nine out of their 10 final games. Florida has been trending in the opposite direction, going 4-3 in the final seven games of last season. Utah kept nine starters in a lethal offense that put up more than 3,000 yards rushing and passing in 2021.

Despite these trends from last season, I don’t want to downplay how different these teams are coming into this season. Florida added seven transfers and had the 18th best transfer ranking in the nation. Utah also added a ton of new faces on defense, including Gators linebacker Mohamoud Diabate. This should be a close one, but I have Utah escaping the Swamp with a historic win. 

The Big Ten currently has 16 teams and are not racing to get more, but if Utah has an impressive season, starting with a prime-time win at Florida; it would be impossible for Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren to ignore. Adding the Utes would also put the Big Ten in all four time zones.

Oregon will travel to play the reigning champions, Georgia. On its face, this should be an easy win for the Bulldogs, but Oregon has an ace up its sleeve — their head coach, Dan Lanning, was the defensive coordinator for Georgia. Lanning knows the ins and outs of the formidable Georgia defense, which should keep the game closer than expected. 

Despite his expertise, Oregon players will not adapt to the speed and tenacity of Georgia. The Bulldogs should pull off the win at home as they look to repeat their championship run. 

Yet, if both Pac-12 teams return to the West Coast with victories, it would completely reframe the narrative about the Pac-12. The once-proclaimed-dead conference would show signs of life once again. This is an exciting, but admittedly unlikely, potential outcome. 

USC is in a very different situation from Utah and Oregon. The Trojans are facing a Rice team that can’t handle them on either side of the ball. 

Given Rice has the 108th best defense and 97th best offense in college football, it is not surprising that USC enters as a favorite. A blowout win would be a great start to the Lincoln Riley era and would allow them to start a pivotal season in a rhythm. 

However, one of the issues with high expectations — a 34.5 spread in the Trojans’ favor — is that there is not much room to exceed them. 

USC’s defensive line has not made significant progress this summer, and one of Rice’s notable bright spots is their passing game. 

With redshirt junior quarterback Wiley Green at the helm and talented transfer Sam Crawford at receiver, it would not be shocking if Rice can keep the game closer than expected.

Make no mistake, USC will win this game, but it will be an awful look for the revamped Trojans and their playoff aspirations if Rice keeps it interesting. 

Hopefully, USC can hit its stride early and signal a new era of Trojan football with an unassailable win. 

Ethan Horowitz is a junior writing about the ever-changing college football landscape.