USC came close to making the College Football Playoff in their first season under coach Lincoln Riley but fell short after losing to Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game. USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who won the Heisman trophy, is frustrated by the missed opportunity and is determined to make it to the playoff this year.
Speaking at Pac-12 Media Day, Williams said, “I haven’t been in the College Football Playoff in my two years of playing. … It’s been tough. It bothers me because I play for championships. I don’t play for anything else. So not being able to have the chance and being so close frustrates me. This year it’s going to be a good one.”
This wasn’t the first time Williams experienced a similar situation. During his freshman year at Oklahoma in 2021, the Sooners were undefeated until mid-November when they lost games to Baylor and Oklahoma State, eliminating their playoff hopes. Williams became Oklahoma’s starting quarterback during that season before transferring to USC.
Williams is expected to be one of college football’s top stars again in 2023. He was named a preseason first-team All-Pac-12 selection and media members have predicted USC to win the Pac-12 title this year.
USC coach Lincoln Riley is also eager for the team’s success in 2023, especially since it will be USC’s last season in the Pac-12 before moving to the Big Ten in 2024. The Trojans were chosen by media members to win the Pac-12 title, something they last achieved in 2017.
“Does it motivate us any more than if it wasn’t our last year in the Pac-12? No,” Riley said. “But is there also a sense of that this your last chance to play some of these teams and go into some these venues? Absolutely. We feel that, and we want to put our best foot forward.”
