College football’s elite programs get only so many chances in the long slog of a season to earn their reputations. For USC, this early trip north to play No. 10 Stanford represented one of those moments to show its mettle against a known equal on a prime-time stage.
The Trojans will have to wait for the next opportunity after whiffing big in a 17-3 loss to the Cardinal in which USC felt competitive throughout but couldn’t quite get there on the Stanford Stadium scoreboard.
“All our hopes and aspirations and dreams are still out there,” USC coach Clay Helton said, “and our team understands that.