Estimated read time: 7-8 minutes
It was a thing of beauty that the University of Utah pulled off on Saturday evening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Utah beat USC 34-32 in an outcome that should have surprised exactly no one who understands those two programs.
The Utes don't have better, higher-rated players than USC. But they do have stronger culture. Utah's players are tougher, more resilient, and well coached. That's Utah's "secret sauce" and it has now defeated the Trojans in four straight meetings.
It's like Utes' coach Kyle Whittingham told reporters after the win: "They've got a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback, so they're gonna make some things (happen), and that's just the way it is. But we've got ourselves a pig farmer at quarterback, so we're proud of that guy, too."
Forget the five-star recruits, USC needs more pig farmers.
My goal here is to give you sourced, in-depth information and reporting. Stuff you can't get anywhere else. I also have strong opinions about what I saw on Saturday and what I expect we'll see next week.
Thanks for being here.
I'm having a blast.
Away we go …
• USC did not make players available to the media after the game. It was another media misfire by the Trojans and a disservice to the players. I'm a big believer that you learn more about a program (or a person) in defeat than you do after a win.
• Trojans' coach Lincoln Riley showed up solo to the postgame news conference. He was asked if falling to 6-2 this season will cause his team to reframe its national championship expectations.
Said Riley: "We're in the middle of the season. That's a dream world. Right? You're fighting your ass off every single week. We don't come in every single week talking about winning a national championship and going to the playoffs. I don't know where that narrative comes from."
• Riley's arrival at USC featured an introductory news conference in late Nov. 2021 that included the school's marching band, cheerleaders and a declaration from his athletic director that the hire had "shifted the entire landscape" of college football.
"This is gonna be the Mecca of College Football," Riley declared.
• Also, in the summer of 2022, Riley told The Los Angeles Times that his goal was to win the championship.
"We didn't come here to play for second," Riley said.
• Utah is the two-time defending Pac-12 champion. The program has endured a series of season-ending injuries. Quarterback Cam Rising has officially been shut down for the year. And the Utes entered Saturday's game with a conference road loss (to Oregon State) already on the resume. Basically, with its back to the wall and facing the reigning Heisman winner, Utah did what Utah always does — it rose to meet the moment. The Big 12 will soon understand.
• I've known Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig for a long time. He's a former Portland State wide receiver. I covered Ludwig from 1998-01 when he was the play caller at Fresno State and had David Carr at quarterback. Ludwig engineered the offensive attack that helped Carr become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft.
On Saturday in crunch time vs. USC, Ludwig was working with a walk-on quarterback (pig-farmer Bryson Barnes) and a running back (Sione Vaki) who is a defensive back. Ludwig should take a bow.
• In the last three meetings between Utah and USC, the Utes have either been tied or behind the Trojans at halftime in all three games. But Utah outscored USC in the second half of all three games. The Utes make better halftime adjustments. That's coaching, folks.
Here are the second-half scores in the last three Utah-USC games:
- 2022 (regular season): 22-14
- 2022 (Pac-12 championship): 30-7
- 2023: 20-18
• Utah hosts Oregon next Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Kickoff is 12:30 p.m. PT. I'll be in Salt Lake City for the game. So will FOX, which had the No. 1 pick that week and chose wisely. The network passed on Colorado-UCLA, which ABC promptly snapped up as the No. 2 pick of games.
• Who wins the Oregon-Utah game? I'm not ready to make my official pick yet. The Ducks are the most balanced team in the conference. Oregon can beat teams on both sides of the ball. Utah will be coming off a big, emotional win over USC. Neither team can afford a loss. And the home field is a major factor in this matchup. I'll make my official prediction on Thursday in print.
• I was nearly dead on with my Utah-USC final score prediction. I predicted a 34-31 Utes win. It ended 34-32. As they say, even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut.
• I went 4-0 picking the Pac-12 games, straight up. I was a modest 2-2 against the spread. You can review my Week 8 picks here. I'm now 27-22-1 (54 percent) against the spread this season and 50-9 (85 percent) straight up.
• Oregon's defense gave up yards and some points in a 38-24 win over Washington State on Saturday, but left an impression on its coaching staff. Cougars' coach Jake Dickert said after the game: "They roll in 18 guys up front, they keep attacking you."
• I wrote a column on Saturday about Bucky Irving, who I think is Oregon's best player.
• I thought WSU did a lot of good things against Oregon. It was a ridiculously tough matchup for the Cougars and they hung around, trailing 17-13 at halftime.
Washington State plays at ASU, vs. Stanford, at Cal and vs. Colorado in its next four games. Don't be surprised if the Cougars go 4-0 in that span and are sitting 8-3 entering the Apple Cup game vs. Washington.
• By the way, it's a travesty that the Apple Cup and Civil War games aren't currently scheduled to be played in 2024 and beyond. I am told there have been some discussions between Oregon and Oregon State about trying to find a way to get the rivalry game on a future schedule, but nothing signed and sealed yet.
• I'll have some updates on the plight of the Pac-2 this week. The lawsuits vs. the conference and commissioner George Kliavkoff are moving along. The discovery process has my phone ringing. Also, there's some movement on the plan for OSU and WSU for 2024. Nothing official yet, but "things are in the works" per a well-placed source.
• Oregon State's 21-7 win over Utah looks pretty good right about now, doesn't it? The Beavers are at Arizona next Saturday. The game is on ESPN at 7:30 p.m.
• Why again is the Pac-12 as we once knew it dying after this season? The conference is providing amazing theater this season and the competition is great. The downfall of the conference is a shame. If you missed what UCLA coach Chip Kelly had to say this week about college football, give it a look. The guy is visionary.
• Give ASU credit today. Its defense was flying around against Washington on Saturday. But does anyone else think the Sun Devils got some help from Oregon? I can't help but wonder if former UO coordinator Kenny Dillingham, now the head coach at ASU, was on the phone with Oregon's staff a few times last week.
• It's not a conspiracy theory. It's just how the business works. Coaches talk all the time. They help each other out. Those "Sunday chats" that give a staff a running start for the week are happening today, too. Be sure.
• I thought the officiating in the ASU-UW game was inconsistent. What did you think? Tell me in the comment section.
• Another question: Did Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. win the Heisman Trophy vs. Oregon … then lose it a week later vs. ASU? Discuss. He had two interceptions and no touchdowns vs. the Sun Devils on Saturday. It was the second time in three weeks that Penix Jr. failed to throw a touchdown pass. UW's quarterback now has three interceptions and four touchdown passes in his last three games.
• I have a Heisman vote. I had Penix Jr. on my ballot last year (third place vote) but he looked very ordinary against the Sun Devils. How forgiving should voters be week to week? Do candidates get mulligans this late in the season?
The award is supposed to honor the best college football player in America. I often wonder if the candidates thrust into our laps by ESPN are even the best players on their own teams.
Have a great Sunday …
