Stanford Football: 3 takeaways from loss to USC in Pac-12 Title Game

USC head coach Clay Helton won his first Pac-12 Championship over Stanford football in what should be one of the most exciting games of the weekend.

No. 13 Stanford football battled with the No. 10 USC Trojans in one of the more entertaining Pac-12 Championship Games in recent memory. USC entered the game as the slight favorite, by four points, riding a six game winning streak in conference play.

Meanwhile, Stanford inched past the Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars in the Pac-12 North. USC won the Pac-12 South with more comfort, with the 7-5 (6-3 Pac-12 ) Arizona State Sun Devils finishing in second in the division.

This is the second time these two teams met this year. USC dominated Stanford the first time around, to the tune of a 42-24 victory. It was a lot closer this time around as every time it looked like the Trojans were about to pull away, the Cardinal brought it back to a tight score.

USC’s last ditch hopes for the College Football Playoff were held in the fate of this finish. There’s more than likely going to be a two loss Power Five conference champion in the Playoff field this year. USC, Ohio State, and Auburn highlight the two-loss teams still in the running.

Stanford kept the game close the entire way, and it took a fourth down conversion in clutch time to seal it. USC would take the victory 31-28, also giving the Pac-12 South its first Pac-12 Championship. The Trojans got revenge on the Cardinal for the 2015 Pac-12 Championship Game result as well.

Here are takeaways from the Stanford Cardinal vs. USC Trojans in the Pac-12 Championship Game.