This was the day that it all sank in, when the maybes and what ifs became a disheartening probably won’t for USC’s hopes of winning the Pac-12 South and repeating as conference champion.
The Trojans had lost their air of invincibility a long time ago but they had managed to cling to a 19-game winning streak at the Coliseum, including 14 straight victories over Pac-12 opponents. Their streak — all accomplished under coach Clay Helton — was a point of pride, a link to better teams and better memories, an achievement they sustained when so much else was going wrong.