Nebraska’s longshot chances for a No. 1 finish got a boost Saturday as Southern California knocked Notre Dame from the unbeaten ranks in a 38-28 upset in Los Angeles.
The Trojans led 38-14 before two Notre Dame touchdowns made the final score more respectable.
A solid win by the Irish might have created a No. 1-vs.-No. 2 matchup between Texas and Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl, leaving the Huskers out in the cold with a No. 4 ranking going into the bowls. Instead, Notre Dame was now sure to fall in the polls, and Nebraska was all but certain to have no worse than a consensus No. 3 pre-bowl ranking.
The Huskers also now had comparative-scores advantage over the Irish: a 21-21 tie against USC as opposed to Notre Dame’s double-digit loss. Whether that would matter remained to be seen.
On Saturday night, LSU moved a step closer to earning an Orange Bowl berth against Nebraska by defeating Tulane. The Bayou Bengals now needed to beat Ole Miss on Dec. 5 to lock in their trip to Miami.
