After losing its regular-season finale in blowout fashion to crosstown rival UCLA, USC football (7-5) looks to end its 2023 campaign with a win over the Louisville Cardinals in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl on December 27.
The Cardinals had a stellar 2023 season, where they finished as the ACC runner-up after losing to No. 5 Florida State 16-6 in the ACC Championship Game and will enter Petco Park with a 10-3 record under first-year head coach Jeff Brohm. The Cardinals also have the 16th-best defense in the country in yards allowed per game.
This will be the first-ever meeting between USC and Louisville.USC has taken part in the Holiday Bowl three times and has a 1-2 record in the bowl. The Trojans beat Nebraska 45-42 in 2014, lost to Wisconsin in 2015 by a score of 23-21 and lost to Iowa 49-24 in 2019. This will be Louisville’s first time as a Holiday Bowl participant.
The Trojans started the season ranked at No. 6 in the preseason AP Poll and won their first six games of the season. However, they lost five of their final six, the lone win being a 50-49 win over the California Golden Bears in Berkeley on October 28. USC has been unranked since November 5 and has not received votes in either the AP or Coaches polls since November 19.
In addition to falling out of both Pac-12 and national championship contention, USC also fired defensive coordinator Alex Grinch on November 5 following the Trojans’ loss to then-No. 5 Washington, who clinched a spot in the College Football Playoff after defeating Oregon 34-31 in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday. As the Huskies and Ducks played in Las Vegas, USC head coach Lincoln Riley introduced D’Anton Lynn as Grinch’s replacement at defensive coordinator.
In addition to questions about the defense, USC also has a lot of players who will likely opt out of the Holiday Bowl in order to avoid injuries and to prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft. Redshirt junior running back MarShawn Lloyd announced earlier on social media that he will declare for the NFL Draft, while senior wide receiver Brendan Rice has accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl. Junior quarterback Caleb Williams still has yet to decide whether or not he will take advantage of his final year of college eligibility or play in the Holiday Bowl, as he told the LA Times that he will make a “game-time decision” when he is ready. The deadline to declare for the NFL Draft is January 15.
The Trojans look to end their disappointing season on a high note when the Holiday Bowl kicks off on December 27 at 5 p.m. PST on FOX.