Heisman winner on the way for Las Vegas Bowl? It’s possible
A wild Week 7 of college football is complete, so it’s time for another Las Vegas Bowl projection.
Projection: No. 18 USC vs. No. 24 Iowa
The one-loss Trojans led by Lincoln Riley and 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams may seem way out of the Las Vegas Bowl’s window right now, but their massive tumble in the AP poll might illustrate the worry voters have about the difficulty of USC’s upcoming schedule.
USC was demolished 48-20 on the road by No. 15 Notre Dame. It still has matchups with No. 5 Washington, No. 9 Oregon, No. 14 Utah and No. 25 UCLA. Lose any three of those games — starting with the Utes this weekend — and the Trojans fall right into the Las Vegas Bowl window.
While the Pac-12 keeps it interesting, the Hawkeyes continue to be the most likely pick for the Big Ten bid. Iowa took firm control of the Big Ten West with a 15-6 win on the road against Wisconsin in Week 7. On Saturday it hosts Minnesota, a team which hasn’t won a conference game since Week 1.
There aren’t many other contenders for the Big Ten’s Las Vegas Bowl bid. Wisconsin was the game’s most recent Big Ten participant making it unlikely, and the travel demands of Maryland or Rutgers makes them unappealing for a West Coast game.
Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on X.