Pac-12 Championship Game Opponent Preview: USC
2022 Stats - USC Trojans
Record: 11-1 (8-1 in Pac-12)
Points per game: 42.5 (3rd in nation, 1st in Pac-12)
Points allowed per game: 26.3 (61st in nation)
Passing yards per game: 322.6 (6th in nation, 2nd in Pac-12)
Rushing yards per game: 184.0 (44th in nation)
Passing yards allowed per game: 262.8 (110th in nation)
Rushing yards allowed per game: 142.4 (52nd in nation)
Thanks to “doable chaos” weekend, the University of Utah finds themselves back in the Pac-12 Championship game. Similar to last season, the Utes face a previous foe from earlier this year in the USC Trojans. Utah handed USC their only loss on the season, a 43-42 thriller in Salt Lake City. Lincoln Riley and co. will look to avenge that loss and defeat the reigning Pac-12 champs.
If anything, USC looks even better than they did back in mid-October, with Caleb Williams looking like a true Heisman candidate and the Trojans entering the College Football Playoff with an almost guaranteed spot at the table if they beat Utah.
Strength: Offense
USC has scored less than 30 points only once this season, and it was in Corvallis early in the season against a tough Oregon State squad. Including the loss to Utah, the Trojans have scored 38 points or more in 7 of the 8 games since then.
This offense puts up video game-type numbers. It starts with Caleb Williams at quarterback, but Austin Jones has filled in nicely since starting running back Travis Dye went down for the season. Jordan Addison leads a talented group of receivers. They put up points in bunches and they will be a huge challenge for Utah even though the Utes’ defense has steadily improved during the season. USC scored 42 points in the previous matchup, and it would seem they are poised to turn this into another shootout.
Question Mark: Scoring defense
Yes, most teams end up throwing the ball a lot against the Trojans because they are trying to keep up, and USC is the clear #1 team in turnover margin in part because of that. With the exceptions of the low scoring affair with Oregon State, most games turn into track meets with the Trojans. Since the loss to Utah, USC has had one-score wins over Arizona, Cal, and UCLA. The Bruins are a top-20 team, but the Wildcats and Bears are 5-7 and 4-8 on the season, respectively. Utah is the lone team on the year that beat USC at its own game, and the Utes know they have the potential to keep pace with the Trojans.
X-factor: Quarterback play
This goes for both Caleb Williams and Cam Rising. Williams has turned in a Heisman-worthy season thus far and will be someone the Utah pass rush will need to contain and keep in front of them. Rising, while he has battled his injuries and inconsistencies for some of this season, is still Utah’s leader and heartbeat. He bounced back nicely—looking much more like the Rising that USC fears—in the first half against Colorado last week before resting in the second half.
The game will hinge on the arms and legs of both these quarterbacks. In a rematch like this with the conference title on the line, both quarterbacks will need to perform extremely well and avoid as many mistakes as possible.
Both defenses are opportunistic, and both teams are able to capitalize on forced turnovers. Just like last time, this game will probably come down to which quarterback has the ball last or which defense makes a play down the stretch.
Prediction: Utah 38 USC 35