USC's struggles in state of Texas have continued under Lincoln Riley

4 days ago 2

We have already discussed at great length here USC's agonizing Alamo Bowl loss to TCU last week. The Trojans seemingly had the game won on multiple occasions, but somehow found a way to blow it and lose.

The game continue a startling recent trend: painful USC losses in the state of Texas. The Trojans have now lost all six games that they have played in the Lone Star State this century, with all of them coming in embarrassing fashion.

So how did this rather unfortunate streak come to be? Let's take a look:

2012 Sun Bowl vs. Georgia Tech

USC opened the 2012 season as the preseason No. 1 team in the country. The Trojans ended it with an embarrassing 21-7 loss to Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl where the team looked like they clearly did not want to be there, star wide receiver Robert Woods took a shot at USC's coaching staff in a postgame interview, and a fight reportedly broke out in the locker room after the game.

2016 vs. Alabama (in Dallas)

Believe it or not, USC led this game 3-0 nearly halfway through the second quarter. Of course, you would not know that from the final score, which was 52-6 in favor of Alabama.

2017 Cotton Bowl vs. Ohio State

Following, their first conference title in nine years, the Trojans traveled to Dallas and were dominated 24-7 by the Buckeyes. How did then-athletic directory Lynn Swann respond? By giving head coach Clay Helton a large contract extension that set the program back by several years, of course.

2018 at Texas

After beating Texas in double overtime at the Coliseum the year prior, the Trojans traveled to Austin and were blown out 37-14 by the Longhorns. This game was an early sign that perhaps the post-Sam Darnold portion of the Helton era was not going to go too well.

2023 Cotton Bowl vs. Tulane

Three seasons before the Trojans blew a 10-point fourth quarter lead to TCU in a bowl game in Texas, they blew a 15-point fourth quarter lead to Tulane in a bowl game in Texas.