Struggles against brutal schedule won’t doom USC football’s CFP hopes, under 1 condition

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With the USC football team wanting to compete for a national championship this upcoming season, the program will be challenged in a huge way by the strength of its schedule. As there is major College Football Playoff (CFP) buzz around the USC football program, this analyst warns the fanbase about what could hold back the team from achieving wonders.

ESPN college football analyst Heather Dinich would speak about the 31 teams that the committee could look at to qualify for the 12-team CFP, with the Trojans as the 11th-ranked team talked about. There’s no doubt that the Big Ten could make a splash in the CFP, with teams such as Ohio State, Oregon, and Indiana having high aspirations, but where do the Trojans fit into all this?

Dinich would speak about the high potential that USC has, led by head coach Lincoln Riley, despite the tough schedule, but if there is one aspect that would hold the team back, it is the optics of the losses.

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Double-digit losses could impact the USC football team’s chances at CFP

She expressed that double-digit losses get a lot of stock by the committee, and while the program could “afford two losses and still be in playoff contention,” it could hurt them if the defeats are by big margins.

“What the committee won’t like: Double-digit losses,” Dinich wrote. “The committee pays attention to how games are won and lost, and last year, USC lost to Notre Dame and Oregon by at least 10 points each. With a schedule as tough as USC has this year, the Trojans can probably afford two losses and still be in playoff contention, but the committee will think twice if those two L’s are by a significant margin to another playoff team. It illustrates the gap between the loser and the playoff team, and that discrepancy can be reflected in the ranking.”

At any rate, it remains to be seen if the USC football team is impacted by the schedule, which ESPN ranks as No. 19 regarding toughness. The Trojans open the season on Aug. 29 against San Jose State.

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Struggles against brutal schedule won’t doom USC football’s CFP hopes, under 1 condition

Double-digit losses could impact the USC football team’s chances at CFP

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