There are actually 2 very viable ways we could make the Rose Bowl –
1.) Obviously USC loses one more game and we win out including the P12 Championship – Preferable
2.) Oregon wins out and gets selected for the playoff. This gives USC another loss but even if we drop another one and USC makes the P12 Championship, the Rose Bowl is not compelled to take a 4 loss, runner up USC team over a 2 loss Utah team since they are not getting the P12 Champion. In fact, since there would be 2 games seperating them in overall record I don’t think the RB would be able to take them even if they wanted to. I know that is how it works for the Holiday and Alamo selection (They can take a team with a worse record as long as that no more than a 1 game loss seperates them)
I realize that it is a bit convoluted but my pea size brain is just trying to see some different angles to get into the RB.