There are plenty of ways to diminish Arizona State’s 38-35 victory over USC in Los Angeles on Saturday, and they all should be ignored.
This was a big win for the program, regardless of any so-called mitigating factors.
Yes, USC (4-4, 3-3) came into the game riddled with injuries. The Trojans were down to a third-string freshman quarterback, and they were missing two senior captains on defense.
Yes, USC is trying to retool after losing quarterback Sam Darnold, running back Ronald Jones II and defensive lineman Rasheem Green to the NFL.
And, yes, USC has fallen out of USA TODAY's Amway Coaches Top 25 after losses to Stanford, Texas and Utah.