It was all supposed to be so easy heading into conference championship week.
USC beats Utah in the Pac-12 title game on Friday to clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff and TCU follows suit on Saturday in the Big 12 championship against Kansas State. Well, not so easy.
Instead, the Trojans lost a second time this season to the Utes, this time to the tune of 47-24, while the Horned Frogs' latest comeback in a season full of them fell short in overtime against the Wildcats. The pair of losses now throw a once pristine playoff picture into uncertainty as Ohio State and Alabama -- both idle on championship weekend -- wait in the wings.