USC vs. Washington: Trojans Build Momentum by Overcoming Huskies

The USC Trojans held off the Washington Huskies by a 24-14 margin at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. The win is another confidence boost for the Trojans, who are preparing for a November 3 showdown with the Oregon Ducks.

So far, things haven’t exactly gone as planned for the preseason Pac-12 favorites.

On September 13, senior quarterback Matt Barkley and the Trojans were upset by the Stanford Cardinal on the road. The loss put an early damper on the national championship aspirations for the school.

After all, Barkley returned to college for his senior season to bring a championship to the USC campus.

That dream isn’t gone, though, as the Trojans will have the opportunity to face two more top-10 teams in the Ducks of Oregon and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.

They’ve still got a legitimate chance because of their strength of schedule and the unpredictable nature of the college football rankings.

That’s why not giving up after the loss to Stanford was so important for the Trojans. When they met adversity against Utah in Week 6, it looked as if they had done just that. They fell to a 21-10 deficit against the Utes in the second quarter.

However, the Trojans stormed back and have been rolling ever since. Since they trailed in the second quarter of that game, they’ve come back and chalked up two consecutive wins in the process.

For the Trojans, the next two games will be huge in fixing some things and building even more momentum heading into their huge confrontation against the second-ranked Ducks.

Momentum and confidence are huge X-factors that may be able to help Lane Kiffin’s team overcome the adversity they’ve encountered and bring the Southern California team back into championship contention.

It won’t be easy, though.

If they somehow win the next five games, they will still have to go through Notre Dame, which could also very well be undefeated when they meet in the season finale.

The Irish and Trojans have a very history-rich rivalry and a season finale with championship game implications is the best-case scenario for the Trojans.