Taking stock of USC football at the start of October
One month down, two months to go. USC made its way through September without a loss. It will be a lot more challenging to go through October without a loss. In truth, though, a 3-1 month of October would not be a bad result for USC. Maybe the Trojans can solve Utah on Oct. 15, but even if they don’t, a 3-1 month means they would handle Washington State and Arizona.
Remember this about USC’s schedule: The Trojans do not leave Los Angeles at any point in the month of November. They play three home games and have the “road” game at UCLA, in which they will have fans in half of the Rose Bowl. A 3-1 October puts USC in position to defend Los Angeles in November, with a chance to go 11-1. USC plays Cal and Colorado to start November. If the Trojans leave October at 7-1, they will almost surely be 9-1 heading into their rivalry games against UCLA and Notre Dame.
Most USC fans would take that scenario right now.
We talked to Mark Rogers at The Voice of College Football about the state of USC after its September games:
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Analytical rankings of Pac-12 QBs don't have Caleb Williams in the top 3
