1943 USC Trojans football team

The 1943 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California (USC) in the 1943 college football season. In their second year under head coach Jeff Cravath, the Trojans compiled an 8–2 record (5–0 against conference opponents), won the Pacific Coast Conference championship, defeated Washington in the 1944 Rose Bowl, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 155 to 58.^[1]

1943 USC Trojans football
PCC champion Rose Bowl champion
Rose Bowl, W 29–0 vs. Washington
Conference	Pacific Coast Conference
Record	8–2 (5–0 PCC)
Head coach	Jeff Cravath (2nd season)
Home stadium	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Seasons ← 1942 1944 →

1943 Pacific Coast Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
USC $	5	–	0	–	0			8	–	2	–	0
California	2	–	2	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
No. 12 Washington	0	–	1	–	0			4	–	1	–	0
UCLA	0	–	4	–	0			1	–	8	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

In the final Litkenhous Ratings, USC ranked 45th among the nation's college and service teams with a rating of 84.8.^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 25	at UCLA		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA (Victory Bell)	W 20–0	50,000
October 2	at California		California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	W 7–0	35,000
October 9	St. Mary's Pre-Flight*	No. 10	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	W 13–0	30,000
October 16	at San Francisco*	No. 8	Kezar Stadium San Francisco, CA	W 34–0	6,000	[3]
October 23	No. 6 Pacific (CA)*	No. 7	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	W 6–0	65,000
October 30	No. 20 California	No. 5	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	W 13–0	45,000
November 6	San Diego NTS*	No. 4	Hull Field San Diego, CA	L 7–10	6,000	[4]
November 13	No. 15 March Field*	No. 9	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	L 0–35	30,000	[5]
November 27	UCLA		Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, CA	W 26–13	35,000
January 1, 1944	vs. No. 12 Washington		Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl)	W 29–0	68,000
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

See also: 1943 NCAA football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked ( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Final
AP	10	8	7 (2)	5	4 (2)	9	—	—	—

References

1. "Southern California Yearly Results (1940-1944)". College Football Data Warehouse. David DeLassus. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
2. Litkenhous, E. E. (December 17, 1943). "Litkenhouse Selects U. S. Grid Leaders". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 18. Retrieved April 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
3. "Troy Blanks Dons, 34-0: U.S.F. Civilians Actually Press U.S.C. In Second Half". Oakland Tribune. October 17, 1943. p. 17 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "SC Trojans Kick Game Away To San Diego Gobs". The Fresno Bee The Republican. November 7, 1943. p. 18. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
5. Braven Dyer (November 14, 1943). "Jacobs Sparks Flyers To 35-0 Win Over S.C.: Indian Ace Ruins Troy With Passes". Los Angeles Times. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.