USC Football: 4 Reasons to Believe the Trojans Will Play in a BCS Bowl
I know what you are thinking.
USC in a BCS bowl game? This year? In 2013? Are you crazy?
Well, maybe.
In a season of improbabilities, is there any reason to think that the Trojans can make it to to one of the featured postseason college bowl games?
Probably not, but maybe, just maybe, USC can shock the world, rescue a season that only a short time ago was swirling down the drain and find a way to play in a mega bowl game.
Of course, it won't be easy, but really, has anything been easy for the men of Troy in 2013?
While the odds are definitely stacked against them, here are some reasons to believe that the Trojans will make this a year to remember.
USC Is Finally Getting Healthy
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The sore shins of wide receiver Marqise Lee aside, the Trojans are finally getting healthy, and it is showing on the field of play.
With scholarship tight ends back in the fold and depth now in the secondary, the glaring holes in USC's units are now being plugged with healthy players.
Of course, this is still a roster that is depleted overall, but it is a far sight more healthy than only a couple of weeks ago.
If USC can maintain that health, they can be a force going forward.
The Trojans Are Beginning to Mesh as a Team
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Make no mistake about it, the team that beat Stanford on Saturday bears no resemblance to the one that lost to Washington State in Week 2.
Led by a confident quarterback in Cody Kessler and a defense that has regained its bearing, USC has made it very clear that any team hoping to notch a victory at the Trojans' expense will have to earn it.
Improved in every facet of the game, even kicker Andre Heidari seems to be finding his mojo all of a sudden.
That is a recipe for success if USC harbors a desire to play in a BCS bowl game.
The Trojans Are Playing to Earn Ed Orgeron the Permanent Head Coaching Job
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There is nothing the USC's players would like more than to see their interim head coach have the "interim" tag removed from his job title.
To a player, those plying their wares on the gridiron love the big 'ol gruff man from Louisiana, and he loves them back.
Anyone who witnessed the Trojans' victory over the Cardinal on Saturday saw a team that refused to lose, and they did it despite going with a roster that barely had 50 scholarship players at its disposal.
And that grit was fortified by their desire to leave it all on the field for their head coach.
Expect that to carry on for the rest of this season and beyond.
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Though Unlikely, There Is a Chance That USC Can Pull This BCS Thing off
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Okay, so it will take a lot of things going right for USC to gain a berth in a BCS bowl.
For one thing, the Trojans will have to beat both Colorado and UCLA to even get a chance to represent the South Division in the Pac-12 title game.
To make things even more unlikely, Arizona State would then have to lose both to UCLA and in their rivalry game with Arizona.
And finally, USC will have to beat whoever the North sends to the championship game—most likely Oregon—to wind up 11-3 and be No. 1 in the Pac-12, which will earn the Trojans a spot in the Rose Bowl.
Piece of cake right? Okay, so it's not, but nothing else has come easy for USC in 2013.
Conclusion
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I will be the first to admit that the likelihood of USC playing in a BCS game is remote at best.
Of course, there was a time when many would say that the chances of the Trojans being 8-3 at this point of the season were just as unlikely.
Still, that's where we are, and at this point, what's wrong with dreaming big?
Even if the Trojans miss out on a BCS bowl, they have played inspired football and brought the buzz back to a moribund program.
And if they keep this up, Trojan fans will be more than happy to wait until 2014 for that BCS berth, especially if they close the season the same way they playing now, which is more than anyone could have expected just a few short weeks ago.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
