Once again: Yes, USC can lay claim to Rose Bowl berth

There was a little bit of doubt thrown on a San Jose Mercury News article Sunday which stated that it’s still possible for Southern Cal to claim the Pac-10 title and a trip to Pasadena.

According the News’ Jon Wilner, if there were a six-way tie at the end of the season -- yeah, I know, as much of a chance as I have with (insert preferred Hollywood starlet here), but still... -- the Trojans would win the convoluted tiebreaker system.

Since that report, two additional Left Coast writers have buttressed Wilner’s original story. And it all goes back to a chain of events put forth by Wilner that would have to occur in order for the Trojans to lay claim to a Rose Bowl berth:

Cal (three losses) beats Stanford (third loss) and Washington.Arizona (two losses) beats ASU and Oregon (second loss).USC (three losses) beats UCLA and Arizona (third loss).Oregon State (two losses) beats Oregon (third loss).Washington State beats Oregon State (third loss).

Bud Withers of the Seattle Times and Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times both lay out the same scenario as Wilner, and come to the same conclusion. And, according to the LA Times, a conference spokesman confirmed the case laid out by Withers.

We’ll let Withers lead off, followed by Dufresne.

Oh, that six-team Rubik’s Cube?

USC wins it. Just don’t tell the Trojans that their life-supported hopes of going to a BCS bowl rest partly on a win by Washington State.

...

All teams finish 6-3, then you compare records against the others. Arizona, Oregon State and USC are 3-2. Cal, Oregon and Stanford at 2-3 are eliminated.

USC wins a three-way tiebreaker against Arizona and Oregon State.

Just a couple of things regarding this whole “imbroglio”.

One, the fact that part of the scenario is predicated on Washington State winning a game renders this to the realm of near impossibility.

Two, I’ve looked over the tiebreaker system and, even as I’m not exactly the sharpest knife in the chandelier, it looks as though these esteemed writers have indeed nailed it.

So, buck up Trojan Nation, there still seems to be hope. And that might be the cruelest twist to USC’s 2009 plummet back to the level of mere mortals.