A season that began with so much promise for Southern Cal will end today in a place few would have expected to see the Trojans this bowl season.
USC started the season No. 1 in the country with a quarterback favored to win the Heisman Trophy. Losses to Stanford and Oregon took the Trojans out of the national title picture, and losses to Arizona, rival UCLA and then finally to Notre Dame sent them tumbling to second-tier bowl status.
Instead of the BCS, the Trojans (7-5) will face Georgia Tech (6-7) in the Sun Bowl (CBS, 2 p.m.). Both teams are unranked and riding two-game skids and USC will be without injured quarterback Matt Barkley (shoulder).
The Trojans admit they had much greater expectations for themselves, but they also are happy to be in a bowl game after a two-year ban and will try to salvage a season that slipped through their fingers after a 6-1 start.
“We wanted to be in a better bowl game, and that’s typical, but we decided our own fate and this is where we’re at,” All-American receiver Marqise Lee said. “Things happen to the greatest teams out there. Sometimes situations happened where there’s struggles, and that’s what we had. So now we’re here, just ready to play and focused — enjoying practice and enjoying our days here, and we’ll be ready to play on Monday.”
Barkley’s injury means that redshirt freshman Max Wittek will get his second start. The first was the 22-13 loss to Notre Dame in which he was 14 of 23 passing for 186 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
“We’re fortunate it isn’t the first time we’ve had to [play without Barkley],” USC coach Lane Kiffin said. “We did it a lot of games last season. The team is very comfortable with Max. It’s not like all of a sudden we made him the starter.”
MUSIC CITY BOWL
Noon, ESPN
Vanderbilt, which faces N.C. State in Nashville, is looking to notch its first nine-win season since 1915.
The Commodores (8-4) come in with a six-game winning streak that is longest in the SEC going into bowl season. Their quarterback, Jordan Rodgers, is the younger brother of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
N.C. State (7-5) is led by quarterback Mike Glennon. The Wolfpack can make up for a season that cost coach Tom O’Brien his job by winning its third straight bowl and sixth in seven bowls.
LIBERTY BOWL
3:30 p.m., ESPN
Tulsa, which faces Iowa State in Memphis, hopes to avenge a 38-23 loss to the Cyclones on Sept. 1 in the season opener.
A victory today would give Iowa State (6-6) its first winning season since 2009. Quarterback Sam Richardson will be facing a Tulsa defense that set school records in sacks (48) and tackles for loss (104) this season.
Tulsa (10-3) could match a school record by earning its 11th win of the season. Running backs Trey Watts, Ja’Terian Douglas and Alex Singleton each have run for at least 750 yards while helping give Tulsa the nation’s 11th-ranked rushing offense.
CHICK-FIL-A BOWL
7:30 p.m., ESPN
No. 14 Clemson (10-2), which faces No. 9 LSU at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, is trying to reach 11 wins for only the fourth time in school history and the first time since a 12-0 finish in its 1981 national championship season.
LSU (10-2) is hoping for a top-five finish and to close with four straight wins after its 21-17 loss to Alabama on Nov. 3.
LSU is 36-1 in non-conference games since 2005, with the one loss coming against Penn State in the 2010 Capital One Bowl.