As Caleb Williams College Career Likely Ends, USC's Uncertain Future Begins

In the end, Caleb Williams stood idle without his helmet on the sideline.

As has been the case for much of this season, he could only watch as things fell apart. With UCLA comfortably in front and the clock bleeding out, Williams, one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in recent memory, watched his college career slowly tick away.

Symbolically, it never should have ended like this. After making magic for two years, seeing Williams go out quietly seemed almost unfair. In a way, however, USC's latest loss is a perfect encapsulation of the Trojans' current state and the unknown still to come.

It's not official, although it might as well be. Williams' college football career is over. Whether he stays for the Trojans' bowl game or not will be determined in the coming days or weeks, although this next part feels like a formality.

To be clear, he shouldn't play another down for USC. Not with a fortune sitting within his grasp. Not with how little support he was provided in the past year. Not with how his final act played out. The likely No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft has done enough.

Since arriving in Los Angeles last year, Williams won a Heisman and nearly pushed the Trojans to a Pac-12 Championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. If not for a bad hamstring and some horrific USC tackling—more on that in a moment—the outcomes of the past two seasons could have been different.

But they weren't. And on Saturday, Williams' college career and USC's dud of a season concluded. The Trojans went out with a whimper against rival UCLA, losing 38-20.

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The defense, which came into the day ranked No. 122 in scoring, once again couldn't put up much of a fight. With rumors swirling that UCLA could move on from Chip Kelly, the Bruins' head coach didn't appear to be the one struggling to find stable footing.

With the loss, USC fell to 7-5. The Trojans finished the year by winning only one of their final six games. And the win against Cal could have easily been a defeat.

Going back to last season, Riley's team has now gone 7-7 in its past 14 games. In that time, the Trojans have beat zero teams that were ranked at the time the game was played.

Statistically, Williams wasn't as dominant this season as he was last year for the Trojans. Still, he finished the regular season with more than 3,500 yards passing and 41 total touchdowns. It wasn't Heisman worthy, but it was without a doubt a considerable encore.

Watching USC, even last season, it was abundantly clear just how much Williams had to accomplish for the Trojans to win.

Last year, it felt right. Riley arrived at USC with a roster that needed change, and he brought in the players necessary to give the Trojans a chance. But when the defense fell apart near the end of last year, it became clear that change was necessary.

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Riley's inability to change course is at least partially while things played out the way they did. Rather than move on from Alex Grinch, USC's now-former defensive coordinator who followed Riley from Oklahoma, the Trojans kept him on even after the team allowed 93 combined points in the final two games.

After regressing further this year, Grinch was relieved of his duties a few weeks ago. It was the right call, but it was made 11 months too late.

This, more than anything, highlights the opportunity that was wasted. With such a dynamic quarterback under center, USC failed to support him in all the ways that were necessary.

In doing so, the stigmas that followed Riley from Oklahoma to California appeared yet again. He's an exceptional offensive mind and a brilliant play caller. But the other parts, specifically the defensive side, have yet to fully form under his guidance.

With Williams all but gone, one can't help but wonder what USC's future will look like. Exceptional skill position players and quarterbacks will still want to play with Riley. Having coached multiple Heisman quarterbacks and early draft picks, this part isn't likely to change.

But will any of these quarterbacks rival Williams in terms of ability in the near future? And can the other side of the ball improve enough so it won't let this team down when it needs it?

It's hard not to quantify this season as anything but a failure given what we saw last year. Williams did his part, and he'll be handsomely rewarded for doing so.

But he'll leave behind a roster with major holes and a program with significant uncertainty. As USC prepares for its move to the Big Ten, it does so suddenly with more questions and answers.

While it's unclear what this program will look like one year from now, one certainty remains. One of the best players in the program's history is saying goodbye, and he's doing so without a parade or a meaningful showcase.

After the game, Williams chose not to speak to the media. At least for the time being, his official plans are unclear. Given what we witnessed on Saturday afternoon and the past two months, however, there isn't much left to say.

Williams' impact on the program will not be forgotten, nor should it be, although it's hard not to think about what might have been. And moving forward, it's hard to see how exactly his enormous absence will be filled.