After a 1-3 start to the 2016 football season, the University of Southern California Trojans were in disarray. They were outclassed and outgunned by Alabama in a humiliating 52-6 blowout loss to open the season. And, although they won handily the next week against Utah State, they followed that up with dispiriting performances against Stanford and Utah as they tumbled from the Top-25.
Although few would have predicted it at the time, the October 1st game against Arizona State marked a turning point in the season. Starting that week, with a 41-20 thrashing of the Sun Devils, USC reeled off nine consecutive wins—including a defining triumph on November 12th in Seattle, as the Trojans upset the undefeated Huskies on their home turf, 26-13.