Week 8 USC football bowl projections: Less than exciting options for the Trojans

With the calendar nearing the end of October, the college football postseason picture is starting to develop. As a result, bowl projections are starting to become a hot topic.

Of course, USC still has some work to do if it wants to be part of the bowl picture. Sitting at just 3-4 on the season, the Trojans have to win at least three of their final five games to qualify for the postseason.

Right now, most experts still think that head coach Lincoln Riley will find a way to get his team to at least six wins. After all, the Trojans face only one more ranked team this year (No. 12 Notre Dame) and they have three of their remaining games at home.

Still, most people don't think this Trojan team is going to go on some big run to close out the regular season. Thus, most think that if USC does get into the postseason, it will be in a lower-tier bowl game against an uninspiring opponent. So with that said, let's look at where some are projecting the Trojans to play if they do qualify for a bowl.

247Ssports.com - Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl vs. Syracuse

Brad Crawford of 247Sports.com has the Trojans playing in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl against Syracuse. That's would be an interesting matchup on New Year's Eve in El Paso, Texas.

While USC fans might not bee too pumped for this matchup, Syracuse would likely relish the chance to play one of college football's blue blood programs. This year, the Orange are 5-1 overall and have ranked wins over Georgia Tech and UNLV.

ESPN - Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl vs. Georgia Southern

Trojan fans won't like the bowl projection Kyle Bonagura has for USC at ESPN.com. He has the Men of Troy playing in the lowly Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl in Frisco, Texas.

What's worse, the opponent in that matchup might be Georgia Southern according to Bonagura. It is hard to imagine the Trojans agreeing to play such an insignificant opponent in such a poor bowl game. However, his colleague, Mark Schlabach doesn't even currently have the Trojans projected to make a bowl at all.

CBS Sports - L.A. Bowl vs. UNLV

If CBS Sports' projection comes true, the Trojans might not have to travel far for their bowl game. They have the Trojans meeting UNLV in the L.A. Bowl.

This game will take place at SoFi Stadium on December 18. This year, UNLV has eyes on being a playoff team but if they don't earn a spot in the 12-team field, they could be a tough opponent for the Trojans.

Sports Illustrated - SERVPRO First Responder Bowl vs. UCONN

Patrick Andres at Sports Illustrated also sends USC to the Dallas, Texas area in his projection. He has the Trojans playing UCONN in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, the home of the SMU Mustangs.

Currently, the UCONN Huskies are 4-3 on the season. But with a very easy remaining schedule, they could play their way into a better bowl game. Of course, USC hopes to do the same.

Athlon Sports - Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl vs. SMU

Finally, the most intriguing bowl projection for USC this week comes from Steven Lassan at Athlon Sports who has the Trojans in El Paso's Sun Bowl to face a very good SMU team. That matchup would be a fun way to send 2024 out.

The Mustangs are currently 6-1 with their only loss being to BYU. With an easy remaining schedule, SMU might play its way into the ACC title picture but if they don't pull off the shocker and win that conference, they could be a tough opponent for the Trojans in the Sun Bowl.