Holiday Bowl Watch: All signs point to Clemson-USC matchup

Two of the biggest brands in college football are expected to be invited to the 2023 DirecTV Holiday Bowl when bowl berths are officially extended on Sunday.

Clemson, which would be making its first Holiday Bowl appearance, has been tracking toward San Diego for the past month.

USC has been in and out of the picture. And now the Trojans are back in for what would be a fourth trip to the Holiday Bowl.

A Clemson-USC pairing would rival some of the most marquee matchups in the game’s 45-year history. The matchup will be announced at midday Sunday, barring a late change in plans.

Clemson (8-4) closed out the regular season with four straight victories — against Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and South Carolina — to become one of the country’s hottest teams down the stretch. The Tigers are two seasons removed from a six-year stretch that included four national championship appearances and two titles, and they remain one of the ACC’s major attractions.

The offense hasn’t been as productive as it was in the recent past, averaging just under 30 points a game. The defense has been the reason for the late-season surge, which led Tuesday to Clemson rising into the CFP rankings at No. 23.

That also just happens to be where the Tigers rank in scoring defense, allowing 19.9 points game.

USC (7-5) opened the season ranked in the top 10 and backed it up with six straight wins.

Then came the fall, with the Trojans tumbling down and finally out of the top 25 with five losses in their last six games. A defense tied for 120th in the nation (34.9 ppg) has been their undoing.

That eliminated them first from the New Year’s Six discussions, then from Alamo Bowl and Las Vegas Bowl consideration.

USC fit in the Holiday Bowl picture before losing to crosstown rival UCLA two weeks ago.

That placed No. 20 Oregon State (8-4) squarely in the Holiday Bowl’s sights.

Until, that is, Beavers coach Jonathan Smith was hired away over the weekend by Michigan State. That created some chaos that the Holiday could do without, especially since the was dark two of the past three years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oregon State acted within 48 hours to promote defensive coordinator Trent Bray to head coach, but it isn’t likely to dissuade Holiday Bowl officials from taking the Trojans.

USC’s proximity and strong following make the Trojans attractive, evne if Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams sits out. Williams has not made it official, but the general sense is that he won’t risk an injury that could hurt his stock in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Williams told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that declaring for the draft will be a “game-time decision.”

What that means for his postseason participation remains to be seen as well. USC coach Lincoln Riley would likely go with backup Miller Moss, who is 23-for-32 for 309 yards and one touchdown this season.

“This was one of my most important years of playing football so far,” Williams told the Times. “I’ve never been in this situation, where I’m 7–5 and there are no playoff hopes at the end of the season.

“I’m dealing with it emotionally, dealing with it spiritually and physically. … I’ve had to have talks with Lincoln — because obviously I haven’t been through it — or with my family members or people like that, just how to deal with this and lead, how to stay the same person I was before the season or after our first loss or second loss. So it was different. It was a learning process.”

Holiday Bowl officials worked for more than three decades to get USC in the game before the Trojans appeared back-to-back in 2014 and 2015.

USC made a third appearance in 2019, losing to 49-24 to Iowa in the last game played at SDCCU Stadium.