USC Rose Bowl Hopes Bolstered By Washington Win Over Colorado

Washington’s victory over Colorado in the Pac-12 Championship Game fuels hopes of a USC Rose Bowl berth to cap the 2016 season.

USC wasn’t playing in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday night at Levi’s Stadium, but the Trojans certainly had interest in the outcome.

Washington did USC a favor, pulling away in the third quarter to down the Colorado Buffaloes, 41-10.

The Trojans weren’t just hoping for a Husky victory, they needed a convincing one — ensuring Washington would earn a place in the College Football Playoff and opening up an at-large Rose Bowl bid.

Simultaneously, the blowout could help drop Colorado far enough for USC to overtake them in the CFP rankings. That is critical because the open Rose Bowl berth in the case of a Washington trip to the playoff will go to the highest ranked Pac-12 team in the final rankings.

Going into the weekend, Colorado sat No. 8 ahead of USC at No. 11. However, with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State sitting between them and playing each other, the likelihood is that the Trojans and Buffaloes will be ranked relative to each other.

While USC owns the head-to-head victory and boasts two better wins than Colorado, the Buffaloes won the division and finished with ten wins. If they had challenged Washington more closely, the selection committee might have decided not to drop them for losing to one of the top teams in the country.

More from Reign of Troy

• Markese Stepp enters transfer portal intending to leave USC football
• USC football’s Alijah Vera-Tucker declares for NFL Draft
• USC football adds Xavion Alford as transfer from Texas
• USC Podcast: RoT Radio Ep. 396 on the Football Season’s Fallout
• Talanoa Hufanga named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, USC football with five first-teamers

As it stands now, the Trojans will be favored to rank ahead of the Buffaloes, though predicting the committee’s mindset is an inexact science.

If the committee uses the eye test, it is hard to see how they could rank the Colorado team which was soundly beaten by Washington ahead of the USC team that beat the Buffaloes earlier this season and is playing some of the best football in the country.

On the other hand, the committee may opt not to punish Colorado for playing an extra game. It’s anybody’s guess.

If nothing else, the Huskies set up the best possible scenario for USC going into selection Sunday. Now all that’s left to do is wait and see.