Bracketology 2023: Ranking all 18 teams on the bubble in terms of safety
By Joey Loose
Penn State: 20-12 (10-10 in Big Ten) NET: 55
Penn State has done itself a heap of good in recent weeks. There might not be a team that has done more to improve their resume than these Nittany Lions, who have won 4 Quad 1 games since February 23rd alone. They now sit at 6 Quad 1 victories and will see that NET figure rise into a more comfortable position overnight after securing a second-round win in the Big Ten Tournament.
That victory came against Illinois and was their third win over the Fighting Illini this season, with Penn State moving onto the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Their position gets notably stronger with each win, but this already looks like a team that should be in the Big Dance, even with that .500 mark in conference play. They’re winning all the important games in recent weeks and get a rematch with a Northwestern team they beat on the road just over a week ago.
USC: 22-10 (14-6 in Pac-12) NET: 48
There are multiple reasons why USC cannot feel safe until they hear their names called on Selection Sunday. First off, they lost on opening night at home to Florida Gulf Coast, a loss that continues to be an eyesore on their resume. Secondly, the Pac-12 has not been strong at all this season, though they did get a nice win over UCLA back in January. The worst part happened late Thursday night as they were knocked out of the Pac-12 Tournament in the quarterfinals.
An Arizona State team firmly on the bubble got revenge and knocked the Trojans out of the Tournament. The good news is that USC had already beaten Arizona State twice this season and their resume is still in decent enough shape to get into the field. Unfortunately, this loss does mean that the Trojans will be more on edge in the coming days. They might have been safely in the field had they beaten the Sun Devils again.