USC Wide Receiver Thinks Trojans Would Beat Alabama if They Played Now

A little more than 16 weeks has passed since Alabama's 52-6 drubbing of Southern Cal to open the 2016 season, which is apparently enough time to regain confidence a 46-point loss.

Trojans wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was talking to reporters at the Rose Bowl when the topic of Washington-Alabama came up. That's when he said he wished they had the same team to start the season that they have now. When asked whether USC would win a rematch if they played now, Smith-Schuster thought for a second before answering.

"Like with our team now? Yes."

Obviously this is a hypothetical that will never play itself out because the top-ranked Crimson Tide will face the Pac-12 champions in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Saturday while the Trojans face Penn State in the Rose Bowl, but there's no question that the game would be much more competitive than it was on September 3.

After losing three of its first four games of the season, Southern Cal reeled off eight wins in a row behind quarterback Sam Darnold. That included a 26-13 victory over Washington, which gave the Huskies its only loss of the season.

Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide is a 14-point favorite this weekend in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, which is the largest point spread of the bowl season.