No. 18 USC football's Week 8 will have them going up against the team that was the ultimate thorn in their side last season, the No. 14 Utah Utes. This season, however, Lincoln Riley and the Trojans will at least have the opportunity to face Kyle Whittingham and the Utes on their own home turf at the LA Coliseum, unlike last year when they had to travel to Salt Lake City at Rice-Eccles Stadium during the regular season and to Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium for the Pac-12 Championship game.
USC football is coming off its first loss of the season, where they lost to Notre Dame in convincing fashion. The Trojans were outmatched in every way last Saturday, essentially confirming all the doubts the team had heading into the game. The defense gave up big plays, couldn't tackle, and the offense struggled with an offensive line that didn't allow a run to be established or their former Heisman-winning quarterback to create his usual magic.
Caleb Williams had his worst career game against the Fighting Irish, throwing for under 200 yards, no touchdowns, and three interceptions. His run for an unprecedented second Heisman trophy took a dramatic hit, along with USC football's rankings in the polls, falling out of the top 10.
This is now the second game in the gauntlet that USC will be facing after initially dealing with the cupcake part of their schedule, which they struggled with. It's also the second team of the five ranked teams they'll be facing during this stretch. And to make matters worse, Utah has owned them in their last three appearances. So, let's get into USC football's Week 8 predictions.
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USC football will score more than 21 points
After being humbled by a stingy and physical Notre Dame defense last weekend, now the Trojans football team has to host a Utah football team that is fifth best in the country in points allowed, having allowed only one opponent to score three times in a game.
Those 21 points were in the Utes' only loss this season against Oregon State, where they lost 21-7. Even with a struggling offensive line that allowed Caleb Williams to get sacked six times last week, USC was still able to score 20 points, with some of that coming from special teams. Regardless, it's hard to imagine this offense not scoring points at home. It may not be much more than 21, maybe 10 points more, but they'll look a little more like the USC offense from weeks past.
USC football will struggle running the ball against Utah football
One problem for USC football (among many) is that they have consistently failed to do anything special running the ball. They had just 106 yards on the ground against Notre Dame last week, where the Fighting Irish were much more physical up front. This week may be similar. Utah football is third best in the country in rushing yards per game, averaging 68 yards. This means that this game will be like most other USC games this year, with the game solely depending on Williams to work his magic. However, don't expect him to get many rushing yards either. USC will be held to under 100 yards on the ground against the Utes.
The Caleb Williams show continues
Look, we know what USC football is—it's the Caleb Williams show. Which, as we've seen, becomes concerning when he gets shutdown. Williams' offensive line couldn't do much against Notre Dame's defensive front last weekend. It could be another challenging week for last year's Heisman winner.
Utah's defense is fifth best in completion percentage, only allowing 53.6%, according to Team Rankings. They have a sack percentage that's near almost 11%, which is also fifth best in the country. Williams will have to be innovative for sure, scrambling and maneuvering himself out of the pocket to make his usual dazzling throws. He may not have an eye-popping typical Caleb Williams game, but he'll at least throw for two touchdowns and pass the 200-yard mark this week, having a bounce back game.
USC football beats Utah in overtime
We've already seen USC football in one overtime game this year against Arizona, and almost saw them go to another potential overtime game against Colorado. It's easy to see what this team is and what it is and isn't capable of. It's capable of dynamic playmaking on the offensive side. It's capable of getting to the quarterback on the defensive side. But it's also capable of, as an offensive line, allowing defenders to get to their prized quarterback. And as a defense, missing tackles, breaking down in coverage, and letting leads slip away.
That's why it's easy to see this one going to overtime, which USC will squeak out with another victory, getting some kind of revenge against Utah.
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