LOS ANGELES — For 60 minutes of playing time on Saturday night against Notre Dame, Los Angeles Coliseum was rocking and rolling in a way it hadn’t in years, Trojan fans tasting the inevitability of a Pac-12 title game berth and the all-too-real possibility of a potential playoff berth.

Then the game ended with a 38-27 USC win that wasn’t really that close, and you would’ve thought the Trojans themselves were headed to a study hall somewhere, certainly nowhere near the celebration they had last Saturday.

After last week’s emotional and hard-fought 48-45 win over cross-town rival UCLA at the Rose Bowl, USC’s football players reacted as if they had just won the Super Bowl or an Oscar, either one. They danced, they cheered, they sang. They puffed their chests out like proud fathers and generally treated the Rose Bowl grass as if it were Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

On Saturday night, after a much less emotional and much less arduous 11-point win over Notre Dame, there were some handshakes and some high-fives, but mostly looks of stoic determination.

The Trojans know they have more work to do. And they’re excited for it.

To be fair, the work on Saturday started far before kickoff, and it wasn’t even USC doing the work.

The Trojans had their playoff path laid out for them by both the Michigan Wolverines, South Carolina Gamecocks, and Texas A&M Aggies, who took out the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes, No. 5 LSU Tigers, and No. 8 Clemson Tigers, respectively.

For a team – and a conference — that entered the weekend wondering if it would at least have a shot at postseason glory for the first time in a half-dozen years, Saturday could not have gone much better.

And then the Fighting Irish kicked off to the Trojans, and it got even more fun.

“I was just imagining that and these guys brought it to life,” Lincoln Riley said after the game. “I don’t know how long it’s been since it was like that, I haven’t been here before, but man it was electric here. That’s kind of what I remember watching as a young kid.”

Added USC EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu: “For sure, that was one thing I noticed. No disrespect to our fans, but that was the first time I’ve seen that many people in the stands, going crazy, loud, throughout the whole game.”

The Coliseum bounced in a way it hasn’t since the halcyon days of Pete Carroll, a decade or more of frustration seemingly pouring out of USC fans who still showed battle scars from last season’s 4-8 campaign.

And Caleb Williams and the Trojans gave them plenty to cheer.

USC scored less than 5 minutes into the game on a Williams touchdown pass to Tahj Washington – his 1st of 4 total touchdowns for the day – and the Trojans quickly went up 10-0.

The much-maligned USC defense allowed just 19 yards until the penultimate play of the 1st quarter, a 30-yard pass from Drew Pyne to Audric Estime that tied for the longest play of the day for the Irish. The defense would add 2 turnovers, continuing a pattern of keepaway and takeaway that has landed the Trojans in the Pac-12 title game for the 4th time since 2015.

“You’re gonna go through a whole season and there have been periods you could criticize any part of our team and there have also been moments of greatness from all parts,” Riley said. “The reality is we wouldn’t be sitting here at 11-1 without this defense. We wouldn’t be here. … our defense has made some big-time plays in big-time moments, and has for the majority of this year.”

Late in the game, Notre Dame climbed to back within 10 points at 31-21, but Williams’ 16-yard touchdown with 2:35 left just about put the finishing touches on the Fighting Irish.

“I certainly think there was some missed opportunities, but we got a takeaway that was positive.,” USC defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said. “A lot of teams lost today because of 4th quarter performances. I thought the battle was good. We got enough stops and takeaways in big moments.”

The party long over, there was still a bit of celebrating to do, and it happened at the perfect time.

As Caleb Williams was delivering a beautiful quote about the success of the team this season and how it is perceived by national media and fans, the USC Victory Bell was being wheeled by the post-game interview room and being banged loudly.

“I think we’re as good as any team,” Williams said, making USC’s case for a College Football Playoff berth. “I’m not just talking about today. From spring ball to summer workouts, I thought we were gonna be a great team. The outside world will say what they have to say, but we’re 11-1 right now.”

The same can be said for just one other FBS team this year — Ohio State, which lost badly to Michigan on Saturday. Unlike the Trojans, though, the Buckeyes are squeezed out of the Big Ten title game, while USC has one more game on the books.

USC was still waiting after the game to find out who their opponent would be in Friday’s Pac-12 title game, but it doesn’t matter much. The Trojans are all business now. They made that clear after the game.

“We’ve got a short week,” Williams said, “and whoever we have, we’re coming for you.”