Crawling To The Finish Line
So, I haven’t chimed in regarding my USC Trojans 2023 football season in a few weeks and really, I didn’t see a point to it. After starting off at 6-0, things really fell apart ever since, to a tune of five losses in six games and really, I don’t even think we deserved to win that one game, that being against Cal. Beating Cal by a single point is hardly a victory worth celebrating, but I suppose in the grand scheme of things, that win kept USC from finishing the season at 6-6. Then again, at 7-5, this isn’t anything that I think is worth celebrating anyway. Sure, USC remains bowl eligible, but at this point, I don’t even care what bowl we go to because I have little confidence that the Trojans would win that game anyway. Tulane shouldn’t have beaten USC last season in the Cotton Bowl on 01/02/23. I suspect that USC will lose whatever bowl game they play in at the end of this season, so I don’t care where we end up.
We started off so well too, but it’s disheartening to see that the 2023 USC Trojans not only lost to the likes of Notre Dame, Utah, Washington, Oregon, and UCLA, but I think that USC wasn’t all too competitive in any of those five losses. As I mentioned earlier in the season, this is because of USC’s horrendous defense, which I knew was going to be the reason why USC was going to fail us at some point and fail we most certainly did.
I don’t know what the 2024 USC Trojans will look like and mind you, 2024 will be USC’s first season as a member of the Big Ten Conference. According to the 2024 schedule, we will travel to Michigan and open the season there on 09/21/24. With USC being 6-4 overall against Michigan, I have high hopes that we’ll administer an ass whoopin’ to the Wolverines on their home field, but that’s my USC arrogance/confidence talking. Deep down, I don’t know what USC football will look like upon entry into the Big Ten Conference. At this point, I can only hope for a record that is better than the 2023 mark of 7-5 before the bowl game.
I will give it up to UCLA for reclaiming the Victory Bell this season and for repainting it in that ugly shade of blue they like to use. After getting smacked around by 18 points, losing last week 38-20, I can’t say a thing. And really, the game wasn’t even that close. We really should have lost by 25, but the powers that be allowed us to score a meaningless touchdown there towards the end.
I’ve said before and I’ll say it again. Win, lose, or tie, USC is still my alma mater. Still, I would prefer to cheer for a team that isn’t as bland and mediocre as UCLA has historically been.
Mediocrity is comfortably at home at UCLA. It doesn’t belong at USC.
Also, and a parting shot, just so that there’s no confusion. For the record, USC is still 50-34-7 overall against UCLA in football.
I thought typing that was going to feel better than it did, but it didn’t. The reality is that USC lost to both Notre Dame and UCLA this season. No matter how you look at it, that makes the 2023 season a failure, even with a 7-5 record.