USC gets Ohio State in Cotton Bowl on Dec. 29

By late Friday, with USC claiming a Pac-12 Conference championship following a win over Stanford, its season held some hope of ending in the College Football Playoff.
The Trojans, at 11-2 overall, were in position to vie for the fourth spot in the four-team bracket alongside Alabama and Ohio State.
“I think we deserve to be in the discussion,” Coach Clay Helton said, “especially the way these guys finished the season. They’re hot right now and they’re playing good f