Colorado to host San Diego State after USC game canceled

Colorado football will now play San Diego State football instead of USC football.

Colorado football cannot play USC football this year, but it will play San Diego State football now.

The Pac-12 football season is getting wonkier by the week. While four teams have not lost a game, none have played more than three because of its late start to the year. With the undefeated Colorado Buffaloes having their second conference game postponed due to the coronavirus in as many weeks, they will now face the San Diego State Aztecs instead of the USC Trojans Saturday.

How does this cancelation impact the Pac-12 going forward?

With two wins on the season over the UCLA Bruins and the Stanford Cardinal, the only games left on the schedule for the Buffaloes are home vs. San Diego State Saturday, at the Arizona Wildcats on Dec. 5 and home vs. the Utah Utes on Dec. 11. There is a great chance the Buffs could be 4-0 heading into a huge rivalry game with the Utes. Unfortunately, that may not matter all that much.

For the Pac-12 to semi-realistically get a team into the College Football Playoff, it would have to either be an emerging national power house like the Oregon Ducks or a glamor program like USC Trojans. Someone has to win the Pac-12 South this season, but would the Buffs even be eligible for it with only a 4-0 conference record? Either way, Karl Dorrell is off to a great start in Boulder.

As for USC, the Trojans only have two games remaining after the Colorado cancelation on their behalf. Those games would be home vs. the Washington State Cougars on Dec. 4 and at the UCLA Bruins on Dec. 12. As with Colorado, there is a decent chance the Trojans do not suffer a loss the rest of the way. All this does is complicate who will play presumptively Oregon in the title bout.

From a national standpoint, this unfortunately removes USC from the College Football Playoff conversation entirely. Colorado may be undefeated too, but having lost a game in a six or seven-game season due to coronavirus cancelation is not the way to entice the Selection Committee when ACC and SEC teams will have played at least 10 games apiece in conference.

This season is all about adjustments, but USC will have to wait another year to win a national title.

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