O/NSO: Beat the Bears! – No. 24 USC at Cal edition

The Obvious: They say when the going gets tough, the tough get going. We’re about to find out if this is true when the reeling No. 24 USC Trojans (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12), current owners of a two-game losing streak, travel north to take on the California Bears (3-4, 1-3 Pac-12) this Saturday afternoon in Berkeley for a 1 p.m. PT kickoff in California Memorial Stadium. The Not So Obvious: If the Trojans are looking for a breather the rest of the way, the O/NSO supposes Cal would qualify. However, the way the Trojans currently are playing, there are no guarantees. In fact, is any game a sure bet from here on out? With No. 5 Washington, No. 8 Oregon, and No. 25 UCLA all on the horizon, all bets are off on how this suddenly unraveling regular season will end. The Trojans will try to avoid a three-game losing streak. In fact, the last time the Trojans lost three in a row was in 2021, when the Men of Troy fell to California, BYU, and UCLA at the end of the season. If the Trojans don’t at least make the Pac-12 Championship Game, this season would easily qualify as a total failure.