Nov. 11th – No. 8 USC – Serenity Now!

Colorado took its first lead in a month, carrying a 3-2 lead over No. 8 USC into the second quarter, but that was as good as it was get, as No. 8 USC scored 23 unanswered points in the second quarter, coasting to a 55-17 victory. Trojan quarterback Caleb Williams threw for 268 yards and three touchdowns, rushing for two more to lead the USC rout.

Buff quarterback J.T. Shrout completed 11-of-21 passes for 124 yards, also rushing for a touchdown. But Shrout also gave up a safety on an intentional grounding but had two turnovers with an interception and a fumble, leading to two USC scores. Senior running back Alex Fontenot had 20 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown, with the Buffs managing only 259 yards of total offense (going 3-for-12 on third downs).

“The turnovers and the sack where the intentional grounding safety was called, were too much to overcome against a team with the firepower that they have”, said interim head coach Mike Sanford. “We’re gonna keep on fighting. We’re gonna keep on finding a way to put ourselves in position to win games. I thought we did that and it got away from us today”.

It wasn’t enough for USC to beat CU 48-17 – the Trojans had to score with 36 seconds left for “style points” … Has it gotten so bad that beating CU 48-17 isn’t impressive enough? … Is it worth it to follow a team which has its best players on the opposing sideline, and can’t bring in enough talent to compete? …

Game Day! … Daily Camera: Five USC Players to Watch (All transfers) … Mike Sanford: “We’re gonna go in there with belief” … Neill Woelk’s Keys to the USC Game … DC Gerald Chatman learning on the fly (against the nation’s best offenses) … Injury update: Deion Smith; Trevor Woods should play Friday …

Bar Bet Winner: The last time CU played USC in LA, the starting quarterback was …? (Hint: A QB with a national championship ring) … USC QB Caleb Williams has an absurd 28:1 TD/INT ration … With Jordyn Tyson out for the season, which CU single-season record is now his alone? … When was CU’s last victory in the Coliseum? …

Wilner: SMU makes as much (if not more) sense for expansion than does San Diego State … Brenden Rice gets NIL vehicle deal … Report: San Diego State to the Pac-12 … CU opens as a 34.0-point road underdog to No. 8 USC (Friday, 7:30 p.m., MT, FS1) …

The Trojans have so many offensive weapons that they played Cal without their top two WR’s, and still scored 42 points … Can the CU offense make any headway against the 95th-ranked defense? … Will USC be looking past the Buffs to their games against UCLA and Notre Dame? … We can but hope …

The Buffs are 34.0-point underdogs to USC … But … Can the Buffs exploit the nation’s 95th-ranked defense, at least well enough to keep it close? … Will USC, with games against UCLA and Notre Dame to follow, be looking past CU? … Plus: What to make of CU’s recent recruiting successes … Let’s find out …