USC is undefeated and can win its second Pac-12 football championship in four years on Friday with a win over Oregon.
It may not be enough to get the Trojans in the College Football Playoff just yet.
USC is number 13 in the latest CFP rankings and, apart from a massive shake up in the rankings, is unlikely to earn any of the top four places.
“I still have some hope,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said during a video call Thursday. “I know the committee is going to watch the game, and depending on how USC is doing, if they keep improving and looking good as they are, we hope they will be in the discussion for a playoff spot.
“But sure, 13 doesn’t come close to reflecting where we think they deserve at the moment.”
The Pac-12 got into a tough spot in terms of CFP when it chose to start fall and winter sports in January amid the coronavirus pandemic, then switched to a football start in early November.
So while teams played games in other major conferences, Pac-12 teams had to wait for their seasons to start and ended up playing fewer games.
Ohio State (5-0), No. 4 in the playoff rankings, will have played the same number of games as USC after this weekend’s Big Ten title game, but has dominated every game except for a seven-point win over No. 7 Indiana.
The Trojans had to score two touchdowns in the last three minutes to beat Arizona State in their opener and had close games against Arizona and UCLA.
Scott said the conference had discussions with members of the CFP committee and worked with USC to provide voters with information about the Trojans.
“I certainly feel that we are doing everything we can to advocate for them,” said Scott. “I am certainly frustrated and disappointed with where they are in the standings now.”
USC could have been boosted by beating Washington in the title game, but the Huskies had to pull out due to COVID-19 issues. Oregon, which finished second in the Pac-12 North, will take their place in Friday’s championship game in Los Angeles.
“I am happy that we are going to have a championship game where the Pac-12 championship will be earned on the field, which our football people thought was essential,” said Scott.