Last week: Defeated UCLA 36-14
This week: vs. Notre Dame (Saturday, 1:30 p.m., ABC)
Comment: The ESPN panel contended that streaking USC is one of two teams you’d least want to face at this point in the season — No. 1 Alabama being the other. No argument here. But that doesn’t mean the Trojans belong in the CFP. No matter the circumstances, they lost three games in September. Those three games count. Would they have lost that many if Sam Darnold had been the starting quarterback from Day 1? Probably not. But it doesn’t matter now. It happened. The Trojans will have to settle for a berth in the Rose Bowl or Alamo Bowl. Not a bad consolation prize.
