It may have been ugly, but the USC Trojans went to the Rose Bowl on Saturday Night and took down their crosstown rival UCLA Bruins. Not only did they regain possession of the historic Victory Bell, but they also won their 6th game of the season, meaning that they are now bowl-eligible.
There are still a ton of scenarios to play out, and the Trojans still have their rivalry game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish next week, but we do have some clarity on which bowl game the Trojans might land.
Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach of ESPN just released their predictions for the College Football Playoff and every College Bowl Game, including the USC Trojans.
What Bowl Game Will The USC Trojans Play In?
With the new conference realignments, many of the typical Bowl matchups have shifted, but many of the old PAC 12 tie-ins now include Big Ten teams. However, some of the conference opponents have shifted to avoid Big Ten teams playing other Big Ten teams.
All of this being said, both Bonagura and Schlabach have projected the USC Trojans to play in the Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium.
The matchup in the Las Vegas Bowl is Big Ten against SEC. Bonagura has USC playing Missouri, and Schlabach has the Trojans taking on Texas A&M.
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The last time the Trojans played in Vegas was the season opener and it happened to be against another SEC team, the LSU Tigers. The Men of Troy won that game 27-20.
Both matchups would certainly pose tough for the Trojans, but the A&M matchup is interesting considering the latest development in recruiting.
USC just flipped QB Husan Longstreet from A&M, they are working on flipping their committed OT Jonte Newman, and 2026 5-star athlete Brandon Arrington, who has been heavily favored to commit to A&M, is getting recruited by Longstreet to join him at SC.
Program flips are normal, but when multiple happen to the same team, fans start to take notice.
Another matchup to watch for is Oklahoma. After beating Alabama on Saturday, the Sooners share the same record as the Trojans a 6-5. We all know that matchup would be fireworks.