USC football’s gametime vs. Utah on Nov. 21 could present a major challenge

USC football will have to face Utah in potentially frigid conditions

USC football players should enjoy the trip to Arizona while they can because conditions for their Week 3 battle with Utah may not be so fun.

The Trojans will battle the Utes on Saturday, Nov. 21 in Salt Lake City, which always opened the door for the weather to be a concern.

However, a kickoff time set for 7:30 pm. PT or 8:30 pm. local will ensure the game will be plenty cold.

USC football has to prepare for chilly weather in Utah

The forecast for Salt Lake City in two weeks isn’t totally reliable at this point, but projections hint at cold temperatures.

The high for SLC on the 21st will be 26 degrees, according to Weather.com.

The coldest game in USC’s history was in 1957 when the Trojans were met with 20-degree temperatures in South Bend. The second coldest games on record were at 29 degrees against Notre Dame in 1949, 1952 and 1959 and more recently in 2013 against Colorado. This year’s contest could contend for a spot in that listing.

The Trojans haven’t been historically great in cold weather. They’re 13-12-1 all-time with their most recent win coming in last year’s Colorado game played in 40-degree weather.

Playing at altitude is a challenge enough without adding night-time temperatures into the mix.

The advantage USC will have is a couple of games under their belt by the time they head to Utah. The Utes, on the other hand, had their opening game canceled because of COVID-19. Their Week 2 matchup with UCLA was moved to Saturday in the hopes it will avoid a similar fate.

The state of Utah is experiencing a spike in coronavirus cases, prompting the governor to take measures against the spread of the virus like prohibiting gatherings and enforcing a mask mandate. For now, those restrictions aren’t expected to get in the way of USC playing Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium.