The 2023 Pac-12 football season appears destined to be remembered as a supernova: an instance of an institution reaching its fullest form before violently burning out.
With the looming departure of 10 of its 12 members to the ACC, Big Ten and Big 12, seemingly every team in the conference has brought its A-game. Even its lower-division teams have shown flashes—take Stanford's comeback win over Colorado Friday night—and Washington's triumph over Oregon on Saturday was a national game of the year contender.
The state of play on the West Coast led USC coach Lincoln Riley to make a bold claim after the Trojans' 48–20 loss to Notre Dame Saturday evening: that the Pac-12 was the best league in the nation.
Lincoln Riley says they need to figure things out quickly, but he told the team they’re still undefeated in conference play and called the Pac-12 “the best conference in college football”
— Paolo Uggetti (@PaoloUggetti) October 15, 2023
Riley's timing may have been suspect—the Fighting Irish woodshedded USC Saturday, forcing Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams into the worst game of his career—but a look at his team's forthcoming schedule makes a compelling case.
USC's five remaining games are, in order: a home date with No. 16 Utah, a likely respite against California, a home game against No. 7 Washington, a trip to Eugene, Ore. to meet the No. 8-ranked Ducks, and the Trojans' traditional rivalry against No. 18 UCLA.
Who knows? USC may find its new league—the one with Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State—friendlier than the one it’s set to leave behind.
