Sweet 16: Hypothetical 16-team College Football Playoff
By Brad Weiss
In the first major upset of this 16-team College Football Playoff, the No. 9 USC Trojans knocked off No. 1 Alabama in an instant classic. Alabama came into this game as winners of their last 26 games, dating back to 2015, when they lost to Ole Miss on September 19. The Trojans came into this game with the confidence of a team who has won ten straight, and they were able to pull out the victory at the last second.
It was typical Alabama early on, as they got out to a quick 14-0 lead thanks to two rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Jalen Hurts scampered in from 10 yards out, and Damien Harris was able to burst through the Trojans line for a 28-yard touchdown after a Ronald Jones II fumble. USC redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Darnold did not flinch, leading the Trojans on two scoring drives to end the first half, as the two teams hit the locker rooms tied up at 14 apiece.
It was a seesaw battle from there, and by the time Darnold hit JuJu Smith-Schuster for a touchdown to pull the Trojans to within three at 30-27, all the Crimson Tide needed to do was pick up two first downs to ice the game. For the first time in a long time, the USC defense stepped up big time, stopping Alabama on a fourth-down try from the USC 40-yard line. After a Jones 20-yard rush, Darnold let one fly, connecting with Deontay Burnett for what would be the game-winner with 0:30 second left in the game.