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Texas vs. USC: Not too early to talk Rose Bowl rematch!

By James Caldwell

Jun 16, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of the Olympic torch and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum peristyle. NFL owners voted 30-2 to allow Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke (not pictured) to move the franchise from St. Louis to Los Angeles for the 2016 season. The Rams selected Jared Goff (not pictured) with the No. 1 pick of the 2016 NFL draft after a trade with the Tennessee Titans. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsMandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 16, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; General view of the Olympic torch and Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum peristyle. NFL owners voted 30-2 to allow Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke (not pictured) to move the franchise from St. Louis to Los Angeles for the 2016 season. The Rams selected Jared Goff (not pictured) with the No. 1 pick of the 2016 NFL draft after a trade with the Tennessee Titans. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsMandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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We are 100 days away from the start of the college football season, which means it’s time to start talking about Texas vs. USC.

Ah yes, the heavily anticipated rematch from the 2006 BCS National Title game at the Rose Bowl in California. This time, it’s a home game for USC at the Coliseum.

Obviously, the players have changed since the Rose Bowl. And, the coaches. Just about everything has changed except for the classic uniforms, Matthew McConaughey, and Will Ferrell.

There’s just something about the Longhorns and Trojans that carries the same weight as Texas vs. Notre Dame from the past two seasons.

That’s why FanSided listed Texas vs. USC as one of the Top 5 games of the early college football season to mark on your calendar for.

  • Alabama vs. Florida State (9/2)
  • Auburn vs. Clemson (9/9)
  • Stanford vs. USC (9/9)
  • Oklahoma vs. Ohio State (9/9)
  • Texas vs. USC (9/16)

The question is whether both teams will enter that September 16, GameDay-worthy matchup with unblemished records.

Will Texas be Undefeated?

First up on the 2017 Texas Football schedule is Maryland. Now, it would be easy to underestimate Maryland. After all, they’re a basketball school, right?

Well, not only have they become a good football program, we have to remember they’re actually in the Big 10 conference. It’s easy to overlook them as an “ACC basketball school” when neither label is true anymore!

Maryland actually beat Texas in the 2017 college football recruiting rankings. But, we know Tom Herman is all about the 2018 recruiting cycle. And, will those Maryland freshmen be ready to play Week 1 in Austin?

Texas should be ready to start a new era under Tom Herman with a victory. Otherwise, this season will take on a strange feel early on.

Then, Texas hosts San Jose State in Week 2. This should be a win against a team that went 4-8 last season. But, Texas was not much better last year at 5-7.

Interestingly, the Spartans start the regular season hosting last year’s Texas Football head coach Charlie Strong and the South Florida Bulls.

SJSU starts with South Florida in August, hosts Cal Poly, and travels to Texas for their third game of the season.

Predicted Record: 2-0 for Texas. Roadblock: Maryland Week 1.

Will USC be Undefeated?

USC opens their 2017 schedule at home against Western Michigan. Now, this won’t be the same Broncos squad that went undefeated last season, nearly won the Cotton Bowl against Wisconsin, and produced Top 5 NFL Draft pick Corey Davis.

Western Michigan head coach P.J. Fleck also left the program to “Row the Boat” at Minnesota. So, new WMU head coach Tim Lester will be making his debut at the Coliseum against USC. Good luck.

Then, USC opens the Pac-12 schedule early against Stanford in what should be a very interesting conference game before Texas rolls in.

Stanford head coach David Shaw will have his team ready Week 2, but the Cardinal just lost Top 10 NFL Draft picks Solomon Thomas and Christian McCaffrey in the 2017 NFL Draft.

The situation also looks favorable for USC as Stanford tries to find its way early in the season.

Prediction: 2-0 for USC. Roadblock: Stanford Week 2.

Texas vs. USC Showdown

Assuming both Texas and USC enter Week 3 undefeated, we can expect ESPN GameDay to be in Los Angeles hyping and covering the game.

Then, it comes down to whether Texas has matured in one offseason under Tom Herman. In the past several seasons under Mack Brown and Charlie Strong, the Longhorns wilted on the road in these types of games. Just look at the 2015 season opener against Notre Dame.

In this game, we’ll get a look at whether Texas is ready for the bright lights and big stage again, like during the glory years when Texas won the National Title against USC a decade ago.

Next: 3 Big Texas Football Stories

Let the countdown begin. We’re 100 days away from the start of the college football season. And that much closer to the next round of Texas vs. USC.

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