Picking the Pivotal Three-Game Stretch in USC’s 2023 Football Schedule

This week we’re looking ahead at USC’s 2023 football schedule, picking the toughest stretches, matchups and making some predictions. Today, we’re kicking off with the pivotal three-game stretch the Trojans will face this season.

When you’re a program looking to make it to your respective conference championship game and then into the College Football Playoff, every three-game stretch is a pivotal one. If USC somehow drops one of its first three games in which the Trojans will be massive favorites, the narrative will stick with them all season. And this year, the “What is USC’s toughest game?” question could be met with five or six different answers. Of course, the hypothetical answer and the one the Trojans would like to say would be the Pac-12 Championship Game, College Football Playoff Semifinal and the National Championship game. But those are all TBD at this point. We’re going with games officially on the schedule.

And there is a three-game stretch that could make or break USC’s season. But Trojan fans will need to wait a while to get there.

November 4 vs Washington

USC might be flying high coming back home from a trip to Cal. But whatever the Trojans’ record is, they’ll need to set their full focus on a visit from the Washington Huskies. This will be USC’s seventh-straight week with a game after an early-season bye and that includes road trips to Boulder and South Bend.

These two programs have played just once since the 2014 season, which resulted in a 28-14 Washington win in Seattle during the 2019 season. These will be seen as the top two Pac-12 teams coming into the 2023 season. The Trojans should have an opportunity to make a major statement at home. Likewise, quarterback Caleb Williams could use this game to potentially set up another late-season run to the top of the Heisman Trophy shortlist.

November 11 at Oregon

Oregon is 6-2 against USC since the 2009 season. And the Trojans haven’t won in Autzen Stadium since the 2011 matchup of Lane Kiffin against Chip Kelly.

Like almost all of its big matchups this fall, USC won’t have much time to rebound from whatever the result of the Washington game delivers. A trip to Eugene is never an easy one.

At this point in the season, Washington, Oregon and USC could all be attempting to defend high national rankings as well as play their way into the conference championship game. These are back-to-back games that could give the Trojans key tiebreakers or eliminate them from a trip to Las Vegas altogether.

November 18 vs UCLA

USC clinched its berth in the 2022 Pac-12 Championship Game by virtue of a three-point win over UCLA at the Rose Bowl. The Trojans might be in a position to need another win over the Bruins to go back to Vegas this season. Either way, the finish against the Bruins always has significant ramifications.

This will be USC’s ninth-straight game without a bye. And coming off these two previous games, the Trojans will have to fill the tank before hosting the Bruins. It would be a plus if USC has already clinched a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game by this point. But if that’s the way it unfolds, UCLA could be heading to the Coliseum looking to knock the Trojans out of the CFP picture. With so many transfers and out-of-state players on the USC roster, there are fewer players who grew up understanding the UCLA – USC rivalry. But it won’t take them long to figure it out.

In what will be Williams’ second and final season at USC, this schedule sets up for he and the Trojans to end the regular season on some big-time stages.

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