When No. 4 USC faced No. 11 Utah on Friday night in Las Vegas, more than just the Pac-12 title was on the line.
A victory would have allowed the Trojans to make their first-ever trip to the College Football Playoff and the Pac-12’s first since Washington in the 2016 campaign.
A victory for the Utes would have meant effectively preventing a school from leaving the league for the Big Ten and defending their championship from the previous season.
The Utes are now concerned about slowing down Caleb Williams, who got the game going early in the first quarter with this dime downfield, if they weren’t before.
After USC got out to a fast start, the Utes settled down and tied the score at halftime on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Cameron Rising to Jaylen Dixon with two seconds left in the half.
That final score sealed the deal: Utah won the Pac-12 for the second consecutive year, and USC was eliminated from contention for the College Football Playoff.