USC bowl game destination taking shape
The USC Trojans won’t officially find out their bowl destination until Sunday, but momentum appears to be building for a Holiday Bowl invite against the Clemson Tigers.
Stewart Mandel of The Athletic provided his projections earlier this week and said USC – Clemson in the Holiday Bowl was one of the selections in which he was most confident. The San Diego Union-Tribune followed that up by claiming “All signs point to Clemson – USC matchup” in the Holiday Bowl. And Brett McMurphy of Action Network also has the Trojans and Tigers facing off in his most recent bowl predictions.
Arizona is the one team that could be locked into the Alamo Bowl if both Oregon and Washington earn their way into the College Football Playoff and/or New Year’s Six game. After that, Oregon State, USC, Utah, Cal and UCLA all finished within one loss of each other, making all of them available as selections for the remaining bowl games.
Oregon State is the only ranked team in that group, but likely would have been a more desirable choice had the Beavers not lost head coach Jonathan Smith to Michigan State. CBS Sports Bowl expert Jerry Palm still has Oregon State slated for the Holiday Bowl. But the potential for a transfer portal exodus following Smith’s departure could make the Beavers a less desirable selection.
USC has a major question regarding its bowl game desirability. It’s widely expected that quarterback Caleb Williams will opt out of the Trojans’ bowl game while declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft.
A Clemson – USC matchup would have a family feel to it. Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley is the younger brother of USC head coach Lincoln Riley.
The two programs have met just once in their histories, a 30-0 USC win in 1966. It would be USC’s fourth Holiday Bowl appearance, all since 2014. USC beat Nebraska in 2014 and lost to Wisconsin the following year. The Trojans’ most recent Holiday Bowl was a forgettable experience, getting blown out by Iowa to end the 2019 season.
