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Utes in review: Undefeated Utah is ready to change history, but ESPN’s formula favors USC

Utah overwhelmed Idaho State, USC lost to BYU and the chances of the Utes beating the Trojans in the Los Angeles Coliseum this week became … worse?

The cold calculations of ESPN’s Football Power Index must be swayed emotionally by history. In response to Saturday’s evidence, the FPI slightly lowered Utah’s hopes of defeating USC to 42.1%.

It will be a fun subject all week, how the Utes haven't won a football game in Los Angeles since before the historic Coliseum was built. That 103-year history, following a 1916 victory over the Trojans at nearby Fiesta Park, disregards how Utah has visited USC only four times since 1948.