Sweet 16: Hypothetical 16-team College Football Playoff
By Brad Weiss
The USC Trojans came into the Sweet 16 as the hottest team in college football, as winners of their last eight games. After starting the year out 1-2, the team made the change to Sam Darnold under center, and the redshirt freshman did not disappoint. Darnold was able to get wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster going after a rough start, as they crept back into the national spotlight.
In their Sweet 16 game, they went up against the University of Wisconsin, who came into the game with one of the better defensive units in the country. The Badgers were winners of six straight prior to the USC game, holding their opponents to less than 20 points per game in that stretch. USC had trouble moving the ball early against a fired-up Badgers defense, but Wisconsin was not able to contain Darnold for the full 60 minutes.
When the smoke cleared, the Trojans continued their winning ways, though they had to fight to overcome a Badgers team that would not go away. USC got out to a 20-point lead in the third quarter, but Wisconsin ran off 20 of their own, pulling to within seven with only four minutes left in the game. With the score at 27-20, USC was able to convert three times on third down, setting up Matt Boermeester for a 34-yard field goal to put the game out of reach.