In the Big Ten, some teams like to let their opponents beat them. New Congressman USC was happy to become the latest victim of that approach when the Trojans collapsed in the fourth quarter of a 24-17 loss to Minnesota on Saturday.

USC entered the weekend ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll, but now has two losses in Big Ten play, and whatever the College Football Playoff hopes, they are on life support. Here are some takeaways from USC’s come-from-ahead loss.

The fourth quarter collapse

USC had the game under control and it looked like it was in a pretty good position to close it out midway through the fourth quarter as it marched to the Golden Gophers’ 35-yard line with a 17-10 lead. Kicker Michael Lantz had hit a 54-yard field goal at the end of the half, so USC was already within field goal range.

But the Trojans’ most glaring problems emerged at the worst possible time. Right tackle Mason Murphy was hit hard around the edge by Minnesota edge rusher Jah Joyner, who hit Miller Moss as he threw the ball and forced an interception that ended the threat.

Minnesota drove down the field against a USC defense that lost some of the sure tackling it showed in the third quarter, and quarterback Max Brosmer raced into the end zone from 5 yards out to tie the game at 17 with 7 to go. :08 to go.

Moss was called for intentional grounding on first down of the ensuing drive, and USC’s offense did not recover. The three-and-out put the defense back on the field, and Minnesota marched down the field for Brosmer’s game-winning 1-yard touchdown on a QB sneak with 59 seconds left.

The Week 1 win over LSU may have eased some preseason concerns in the battle for USC, but they have reared their ugly heads in Big Ten play. The Trojans’ defense failed in the two critical moments they faced in conference play, the fourth quarters at Michigan and Minnesota.

The offensive line has also struggled in those environments and has been especially dominated by Michigan’s defensive line. Murphy’s inconsistent play changed the game on Saturday.

Now the Trojans must get themselves off the mat and prepare for a top-10 Penn State team that visits the Coliseum next Saturday. If USC doesn’t recover, this season will go sideways very quickly.

Put the Playoff talk aside

Ever since USC defeated LSU, optimism has been high among the Trojans’ fan base. The Trojans showed some courage in that game and in the weeks that followed. They didn’t play well against Michigan, but in the end they still had a very real chance to win.

Well, the Trojans haven’t played particularly well since that loss either. Sure, they produced a dominant second half against Wisconsin, but they had to dig themselves out of a hole of their own creation.

If you’re a Trojans fan, you don’t have to worry about the Playoff right now. The Trojans’ chances of making the 12-team field are at 26 percent, according to Austin Mock’s most updated forecast. But if USC can lose to Minnesota, it can lose to almost everyone left on the schedule.

The Trojans haven’t put together a clean four-quarter game since their 48-0 win against Utah State in Week 2. This is an inconsistent team that does a lot to hurt its own chances of winning, and that falls directly under their feet. from head coach Lincoln Riley.

USC was in a position to win both games it lost. One of those teams (Michigan) couldn’t throw the football; the other (Minnesota) lost three of its first five games.

Iowa’s offense scored 31 points against Minnesota’s defense. All USC could muster was 17.

The Trojans still have a long way to go before they can start thinking about the postseason. They have so much more to clean up before they can realistically hope for a Playoff appearance.

Another sloppy start

The Trojans weren’t trailing by 11 points after 30 minutes, as in each of the past two weeks, but they were tied with the Gophers at 10 after making several more self-inflicted mistakes.

On the game’s opening drive, sophomore wideout Zachariah Branch dropped a critical third-down pass from Miller Moss, forcing USC to settle for a 47-yard field goal. Kicker Michael Lantz missed it and spoiled the drive.

The Trojans had trouble keeping Minnesota from running back Darius Taylor, whose patience gave them fits. The defense was also punished with some uncharacteristic penalties: a pair of offside calls, a facemask on Mason Cobb and a pass interference call on Jacobe Covington.

Late in the first half, USC marched into Minnesota territory until redshirt freshman Quinten Joyner threw the ball away. The defense responded with Kamari Ramsey’s forced fumble, and USC eventually moved into field goal position for Lantz to redeem himself from 54 yards out before halftime.

But all those first-half miscues allowed Minnesota to hang around while USC could have put the Golden Gophers behind schedule in a big way.

(Photo: David Berding/Getty Images)