USC Football edged defending division champion Colorado in Boulder to claim the 2017 Pac-12 South Title before their regular season finale against UCLA.
It didn’t come with much fanfare or flash, but the USC Trojans have won the Pac-12 South. Sam Darnold and the USC offense were held scoreless through the first quarter before the Trojans exploded for 27 unanswered points and never looked back.
After an up and down season, Darnold is starting to settle in down the stretch. He ran for a touchdown and threw for 300 yards with two touchdowns and no picks. That marked just the third time this season that Darnold did not record an interception. Darnold benefited from a steady rushing attack, carried by junior Ronald Jones. Jones carried the ball 25 times for 142 yards and a touchdown.
The Trojans weren’t terribly efficient, converting just 4-of-13 third downs and 1-of-3 fourth down tries. Instead they found just enough big plays to keep the chain moving and put points on the board. Darnold averaged 9.7 yards per pass attempt, nearly a first down each time he let it fly. All four of USC’s offensive touchdowns were scored on drives of six plays or longer.
USC will face cross town rival UCLA in Week 12 before their trip to the Pac-12 Title game the following weekend.
Next: Projected Week 12 CFB Playoff Rankings
The Pac-12 North is still up for grabs. The Trojans looked on as Stanford upset Washington on Friday night, putting the fate of the division into the Huskies hands. If Washington beats Washington State in the Apple Cup then USC will face Stanford. If Washington State prevails the Trojans will play the Cougars.