Whenever possible, I try to be positive in this space, so let's start with the good news: On a play-for-play basis, Cal at least played USC even, and I would argue actually outplayed the Trojans on Saturday. Don't believe me? I understand - it certainly didn't feel that way from the stands. But the numbers bear it out. SBNation's Five Factors box score shows that Cal had a higher success rate and gained 1.6 more yards/play. That's a relatively significant advantage that would usually be enough to earn a win.
But it wasn't enough to earn the win.