To Pac-12 fans who had watched USC nearly choke away a win, have general inconsistencies on offense and myriad issues on defense, the Trojans’ loss on Saturday to Utah was not so shocking.

The Utes had been dealt two tough losses on the road to respectable Florida and UCLA squads, respectively, and though they suffered perhaps the biggest individual personnel loss this season — tight end Brant Kuithe’s season-ending injury — coach Kyle Whittingham and Co. have worked their way out of worse situations. And USC hadn’t looked especially overwhelming in a 6-0 start that features five wins by more than two scores, but only two verifiable blowouts. When the Trojans lost two of their most important impact playmakers against Utah, one from each side of the ball, it almost felt like fate was written.

But though the loss may not have felt like much of a surprise, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.

And hurt it does.

So where does that leave the Pac-12 going forward? Does the conference have a shot at the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2016? What about two potential New Year’s 6 bowls? What’s the best-case scenario for the conference now that its top-ranked team lost?

*****

Does the Pac-12 have any path toward the College Football Playoff?

Well, no.

It was always going to take one of the league’s big three — Utah, USC and Oregon — to climb high enough in the minds of voters to secure one of the four coveted spots, which always appeared destined to feature either 2 SEC teams or two Big Ten teams.

The Ducks and Utes found themselves on the outside looking in from the very first week, when they were dealt losses to the SEC’s Georgia and Florida, respectively. Had the two highest-ranked Pac-12 teams pulled off those upsets, they very well could’ve entrenched themselves in the top six, regardless of the margin of victory the rest of the way, had they stayed true. And while Oregon has indeed rebounded from its 49-3 beatdown from the Bulldogs, the Utes’ loss to UCLA in Week 6 just about ended any chance Utah had at a Playoff berth.

So, instead — and of course —  the Utes ended up in the role of spoiler against the Trojans.

Only, USC’s hold on a potential Playoff spot was tenuous at best, so maybe it’s not fair that we put all our eggs in the Trojans’ basket. They hadn’t played anybody even marginally dangerous before squaring off against the then-20th-ranked Utes. USC’s first six opponents are a combined 18-20; Georgia’s are a combined 24-21, Tennessee’s a combined 26-17, and Clemson’s a combined 26-19. The Volunteers and Tigers have each played at least two games against conference teams that were ranked at the time of the matchup, and the Bulldogs have résumé padders with Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi State, and Kentucky coming ahead in the next month.

The Trojans, meanwhile, play just one ranked opponent the rest of the way — No. 9 UCLA — and USC’s other four remaining opponents have a combined record of 10-15. The Trojans can’t possibly play themselves back into favor, even if they are still ranked 12th in the nation.

Speaking of UCLA, don’t the No. 9 Bruins have a chance at the Playoff?

Not with the softest nonconference schedule this side of Charmin.

How ironic for the Bruins, that after finally setting up a schedule that would allow it to enter conference play undefeated, their soft strength of schedule could be what keeps them out of the Final Four. Sorry, but beating down the likes of Bowling Green, Alabama State, and South Alabama ain’t gonna cut it. And the Bruins didn’t even beat down South Alabama, defeating the Jaguars by just one point.

Even if UCLA wins out and a couple of top-eight teams get upset, the Bruins have a hard road ahead.

First, they need to do their part, and with a half-dozen games remaining — including two against ranked opponents, with a tough road test at Oregon on Saturday and a visit from cross-town rival USC on Nov. 19 — nothing is set in stone. But even if the Bruins get through the remaining gauntlet unscathed, will that be enough for CFP selectors?

UCLA currently sits as the second-lowest-ranked undefeated Power 5 team, ahead of just Syracuse, and one spot ahead of the second-highest-ranked one-loss team: Oregon. Say the Bruins pull off the upset in Autzen Stadium and the six teams ahead of them with games this weekend all win, too, UCLA isn’t going to jump eighth-ranked TCU, seventh-ranked Ole Miss, sixth-ranked Alabama, or fifth-ranked Clemson.

The Bruins would need the undefeated TCU and Clemson to have a slip-up, not to mention two of the four SEC teams and at least one of the two Big Ten contenders.

There is a huge caveat to all of this, however: An undefeated Power 5 champion has never been left out of the Playoff. But we’re a long way from that becoming a reality.

So, for all intents and purposes, the Pac-12 should consider itself outside of the Playoff race, once again.

Best-case scenario for Pac-12: 2 New Year’s 6 bowls

The saddest fact about the Pac-12’s recent football results isn’t even the lack of Playoffs. Those standards are almost impossible. But it’s the lack of NY6 appearances that is really damning.

Since 2014, when the CFP was introduced and the NY6 created, the Pac-12 has had just 11 appearances: three by Oregon, three by Washington, two by USC, and individual appearances by Arizona, Stanford, and Utah. In the same time frame, the SEC has had 24 appearances, the Big Ten 21, the ACC 15, and the Big 12 14.

It’s not just that the Pac-12 top teams are not getting honored with CFP berths, it’s that the league’s second- and even third-tier teams are getting completely overlooked.

This year, with four Pac-12 teams in the top 15, that won’t be an issue. The conference will almost assuredly have two teams in NY6 games, unless the wheels completely fall off.

That’s the best-case scenario: UCLA or Oregon ending up in the Rose Bowl, and a one- or two-loss UCLA, Oregon, USC, or Utah team snagging one of the other premier bowl bids.

Now they’ve just got to go make that happen.