Ends may justify means for USC Football in 2017, but only with a Pac-12 title

The ends may justify the means for USC Football in 2017, but only if the Trojans secure a Pac-12 Championship by beating Stanford on Friday.

After nearly every win in 2017, members of the USC Football program, from coaches to players, have had to answer questions about the quality of their performances. And after each the Trojans pointed to the only thing that matters: the result.

Needed four quarters to put away the likes of Western Michigan, Cal, Utah and Colorado? Four ugly wins are still wins.

Looked shaky against Oregon State and ASU at times? Still 20-point victories.

Taken to overtime by Texas? Scoreboard. What about that Arizona comeback? Scoreboard. Sloppy play against UCLA? Scoreboard.

If the ends do justify the means, and results are all that matter, then this week’s matchup with Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship Game is put up or shut up time.

If the end sees Clay Helton lift the Pac-12 Championship trophy, USC’s first since 2008, then the entire 2017 season has indeed been justified. It won’t matter that the Trojans played below capacity for much of the year. As they did 10 times during the season, they’ll have gotten the job done when it really mattered.

Everything rides in Santa Clara on Friday. There are no excuses.

But if the end sees Helton walk off the field at Levi’s Stadium a title game loser for the second time in his tenure as the Trojan head coach, then all the criticism lobbed his way by fans and media will have been justified as well. The perception that player development at USC is stagnant, playcalling is unimaginative and schematic deficiencies exist on both sides of the ball will have been reinforced, perhaps irreparably.

Everything rides in Santa Clara on Friday. There are no excuses.

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Sure, it’s tough to beat an opponent twice in one season, especially one with a head coach as seasoned as David Shaw. It won’t be easy to replicate the offensive line performance which drove USC’s offense last time around. It’ll be even harder to keep Bryce Love contained, regardless of the status of his bum ankle—he had 125 yards on that ankle against Notre Dame.

Still, every advantage is in USC’s corner.

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The Trojans are as healthy now as they’ve been since the start of the season. They’re coming off a bye week, during which the coaches had extra time to scout their opponent and the players had time to rest their bodies.

Stanford, meanwhile, will be playing on short rest with a turnaround from a Saturday night game to a Friday night date with USC. They’re coming off a physical contest with Notre Dame, with their own Body Blow Theory factor potentially in play.

The Cardinal may be gearing up for revenge for their loss earlier this season, but the Trojans have their own revenge narrative as 18 USC starters were members of the team which fell to Stanford in the title game in 2015.

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“I know at the end of the day as many great memories as we made last year, we have to win Pac-12 championships and national championships,” Helton said before the start of the season.

At the time he pointed to a rubber bracelet he wears, touting USC’s 11 national titles and 25 Rose Bowl victories.

“I put it on and said this is going to be a daily reminder to me that it’s our job to try to change these numbers,” he said.

The ship has already sailed on adding to the Trojans tally of national titles and the Rose Bowl’s role as a playoff semifinal host has taken that off the table as well, but Helton can still make a much-needed change to the record books.

USC has been stuck on 38 conference titles for nine years too long.

On Friday, it is indeed Helton’s job to change that. It’s his job to make the struggles of the 2017 season worth something. Because this result matters more than the rest.

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