USC made its Big Ten debut Saturday, and while the Trojans are far better equipped to compete in their new conference with D’Anton Lynn calling the defensive shots, the program clearly still lacked the physicality necessary to win at the highest level. A slow offensive start and key defensive breakdowns cost the visitors in a 27-24 loss at Michigan, which left the Trojans “disappointed but not defeated,” according to Lincoln Riley.
Elsewhere in the former Pac-12, Colorado escaped a nearly disastrous start to Big 12 play against one of the conference’s perceived bottom-dwellers. A last-second Hail Mary touchdown and key defensive stop in overtime pushed Deion Sanders and his Buffaloes past Baylor in dramatic fashion.
Conference play is only a week old for most teams, but the first batch of league games immediately sorted out many of the contenders and pretenders. A host of Pac-12 defectors slotted into their respective tiers in their new conferences after the important Week 4 slate.
USC OUT-PHYSICALED IN BIG TEN OPENER
It was only fitting that the decisive play came in a smash-mouth situation. Fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, both teams bunched up at the line of scrimmage and Michigan set to punch the ball in on the ground for a game-winning touchdown. That’s Big Ten football, and USC learned the hard way.
The Trojans seemingly made all of the adjustments and improvements this offseason necessary to compete at the top of the Big Ten, and through four games, their defense is obviously more sound and physical than in years past. Just because USC took steps forward in a critical third year of the Lincoln Riley era, though, does not mean that this is nearly a finished product. It was clear in the loss at the Big House that there is still important work to be done, particularly in the trenches.
Michigan sacked Miller Moss four times and limited the visiting squad to just 96 rushing yards as Mason Graham and the defensive line flexed all over the front of the USC offense. Too often did Moss find himself under duress, and not often enough did the Trojans maintain balance with their running game — even with Woody Marks and Quinten Joyner providing efficient ground production at 7.7 yards per carry apiece.
Run defense was one of USC’s costliest deficiencies over the first two years of Riley’s tenure, and it reared its ugly head again over the weekend. Explosive plays helped Michigan storm out to its commanding 14-0 lead with Kalel Mullings breaking free for a 53-yard scoring sprint and Donovan Edwards rushing for a 41-yard touchdown.
Last year’s USC team likely would have lost this game by multiple scores. The Trojans can take solace in their obvious improvement. This is a program that expects to compete for Big Ten titles over the years to come, though, and until it breaks through with a win over the league’s flagbearers, there will always be room to grow.
TRAVIS HUNTER HEISMAN BUZZ ABOUNDS AFTER COLORADO THRILLER
Fans stormed the field in Boulder at the end of a remarkable comeback win for Colorado, celebrating the heroics of Shedeur Sanders, LaJohntay Wester and Travis Hunter. If not for those three and their Hail Mary connection and goal-line defense, one can only imagine how low the morale at Folsom Field would have been Saturday night. Deion Sanders and his program averted crisis with the thrilling victory, as a defeat at the hands of a desperate Baylor team would have once again halted momentum and raised questions about the future.
Hunter was the MVP, as usual, in the Buffaloes’ third win. His 130 receiving yards were right on par with his typical tremendous production on the offensive side of the ball, and that he made the game-winning play on a forced fumble in overtime only further solidified his status as a Heisman Trophy candidate. The Buffs may not give him elite team support like that of most Heisman winners, but his individual contributions remain some of the best college football has seen in quite some time.
Following his latest anomaly of a performance, Hunter leaped multiple stars in on the Heisman odds board, climbing to No. 8 at FanDuel Sportsbook. His +1700 odds to secure the sport’s highest honor are better than those of Ohio State’s Will Howard (+2200) and place him just shy of Georgia’s Carson Beck (+1500).
UTAH TAKES BIG 12 DRIVER’S SEAT
An early de facto Big 12 Championship play-in game between Utah and Oklahoma State promised to feature prominently a pair of seventh-year quarterbacks. Instead, the Utes turned to true freshman Isaac Wilson in place of the injured Cam Rising and the Cowboys picked Garret Rangel to open the second half after Alan Bowman struggled in the first 30 minutes. Points were at a premium in a contest that Utah largely controlled until the home squad made things interesting with a 16-point fourth quarter.
Utah is not one to accrue style points, and that is okay. The Utes have an identity under Kyle Whittingham, and they played to it in the defensive battle in Stillwater. Wilson did just enough in his second career start to become the 247Sports True Freshman of the Week, and the defense held a potent Cowboys offense out of the end zone for more than 45 minutes as it took command of the Big 12 title race.
Kansas State’s inexplicable loss to BYU further pushed Utah into pole position in the conference championship race. The Big 12 season is still very young, and so long as Rising remains on the sidelines, the Utes will be vulnerable. But they control their own destiny in their first year as a member of this league, and one of their biggest challenges is behind them.
FINAL NOTES
The soon-to-be-rebuilt Pac-12 went 5-0 in Week 4 with Boise State’s, Colorado State’s and Fresno State’s victories factored into the equation (though those programs will not officially join the conference until 2026). Washington State won an early contender for college football’s game of the year in a Friday night double-overtime classic against San José State, while Oregon State earned the league’s most impressive win of the week in a resounding victory over Purdue — spearheaded by a whopping 341 rushing yards.
UCLA more than held its own in Death Valley, giving LSU a real challenge for much of the afternoon before ultimately coming up a couple of scores short of what would have been a massive upset. The 17 points the Bruins posted in hostile territory were their most in a single game through three outings, and while that was a step forward, the Eric Bieniemy offense remains a massive concern.
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California nearly pulled off the upset at Florida State but surrendered a late decisive touchdown in the 14-9 contest. Still, the Golden Bears defense looks like one of the more underrated units in the country, and this squad could wreak some havoc in its first year in the ACC.
