The College Football Playoff dreams for USC became more realistic following a dramatic 48-45 win over 16th-ranked UCLA.
The 7th-ranked Trojans are now taking dead aim at the College Football Playoff following the chaos that took place right above them in the rankings.
The top four teams in the country took care of business as Georgia, Ohio State, Michigan, and TCU remain unbeaten.
The 5th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers did not take care of business, falling in upset fashion on the road to South Carolina in a laugher, 63-38.
With the Volunteers loss, the Trojans can virtually control their own destiny to the playoff if they win against Notre Dame next Saturday and in the Pac-12 Championship.
The Trojans will benefit from the Ohio State-Michigan game, which will take place this upcoming week.
The only other teams USC could find standing in their way of the playoff is LSU (if they win the SEC Championship) and Clemson.
No matter how the cards fall, the Trojans path to the playoff is much clearer with the victory over their rivals Saturday evening.
