USC Football: Best Bowl Game Options for the Trojans

On the heels of a 49-14 blowout of Notre Dame to cap the regular season, USC is rolling into its first bowl game under head coach Steve Sarkisian with serious momentum. And Sarkisian plans to capitalize, no matter where the Trojans are headed. 

"Looking forward to seeing what bowl game we're going to," he said. "And wherever we play, putting our best foot forward." 

The competitive nature of this year's Pac-12 South race muddles the bowl picture. Arizona and Utah bookend the division at two and four losses, respectively, while Arizona State, UCLA and USC all finished with three conference losses. 

That means USC is an option for any number of bowl games. 

As the Trojans await their postseason fate, running back Justin Davis offered a prediction. 

"Wherever we play, we're going to bring all we've got," he said. 

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl

Saturday, Dec. 20, 3:30 p.m. ET 

Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas

Mountain West vs. Pac-12 

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Few visitors to Sin City leave as winners, but USC hit the jackpot in the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl. Quarterback Cody Kessler's four touchdowns in a 45-20 rout of Fresno State were, at the time, a personal record.

He's since surpassed that mark repeatedly, using last year's stellar bowl-game performance as a springboard into an outstanding 2014. 

The Mountain West Conference champion is contracted to the Las Vegas Bowl, but should league-leading Boise State earn the Group of Five's automatic bid into one of the New Year's Six bowls, 10-win Colorado State is likely the next team in line.  

Foster Farms Bowl

Tuesday, Dec. 30, 10 p.m. ET 

Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Big Ten vs. Pac-12 

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Popular opinion among bowl prognosticators is that USC is headed for the Bay Area. CBSSports.com's Jerry Palm, SB Nation's Jason Kirk, Phil Steele and ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy and Mark Schlabach all project the Trojans for this game. 

There may be a consensus that this is USC's bowl-game destiny, but opinions on its opponent deviate vastly. 

Projections include Rutgers, Maryland, Penn State and Nebraska—a group running the gamut for the Big Ten, but with the commonality of likely being underdogs against USC. 

Though predictors are nearly unanimous in their projection, it's hardly a guarantee USC plays here. Outlooks are contingent on Arizona receiving an invitation to one of the New Year's Six games. Should the Wildcats slip out of that picture, however, the Pac-12's bowl landscape changes dramatically. 

Additionally, nearby Stanford could be an attractive option for the Foster Farms Bowl after its convincing win over UCLA, as Tom FitzGerald of the San Francisco Chronicle notes. 

When the Trojans last played in this game, it was the Emerald Bowl, held in San Francisco's AT&T Park, and USC's 24-13 win there over Boston College marked the official end of the Pete Carroll era. 

This year is the game's first in the new Levi's Stadium, home to the Pac-12 Championship Game. Perhaps playing here could serve as foreshadowing for the Trojans' 2015 campaign? 

National University Holiday Bowl

Saturday, Dec. 27, 8 p.m. ET  

Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego

Big Ten vs. Pac-12 

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Despite USC's proximity to San Diego, the Trojans have never played in the Holiday Bowl. Kirk Kenney of U-T San Diego writes that that could change this year.  

Another first in store for this year's installment of the Holiday Bowl is the Big Ten replacing the Big 12 after two decades. The Big Ten last participated in this game in 1994. 

For Pac-12 teams, the Holiday Bowl is ahead of the Foster Farms Bowl in pecking order. That could land either UCLA or Arizona State—whichever does not go to the Valero Alamo Bowl—by virtue of its head-to-head wins over USC. 

However, both UCLA and Arizona State played in the Holiday Bowl in the previous two years and both were blown out. 

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise cited.