USC
USC in the Coliseum for the season finale sounds like a bowl game in itself. Normally, BYU Football finds themselves playing Hawaii, San Diego State or another G5 program to finish out the year, but this year BYU will have a chance to make a statement.
And they will.
USC is the better team and in any other week would beat the Cougars by two scores. This is a unique situation. USC will come into this game having already clinched the Pac 12 South Division, however will have a few losses in their record. They will probably be sitting around the 18-25 ranking. With that ranking, regardless of what they do the rest of the season, they will only make it to a NY6 by winning the Pac 12.
Logically, this game won’t matter to USC. If they win, they move up a spot or two in the polls. If they lose, they drop a few spots. Either way, they are going to the Pac 12 Championship and either way they will have to win that game to make it to a NY6.
Because of that, USC won’t be all in. They may start practicing for their matchup with Oregon (or Washington) a week later, or be hesitant to make the hit that is a bit more risky. Essentially, this game is going to become a much more even matchup because of where USC is at this point in the season.
This time the tables will turn in BYU’s favor as they will take a two score lead going into halftime. With a strong running game and smart decision making by the quarterback, the Cougars will hold off a late rally by USC to win their tenth game of the season.
Prediction: BYU 31 USC 27
Record: 10-2
Ranking Range: 10 – 14