2012 college football bowl projections: USC tabbed by ESPN for either Holiday Bowl or Alamo Bowl

The USC Trojans came into the season as the No. 1 team in the country. They had dreams of a national championship, a Heisman for their quarterback Matt Barkley and a chance to right the wrongs of their postseason ban.

But with two losses on record, the Trojans will have to live with life outside of the BCS as ESPN projects the Trojans to play in either the Valero Alamo Bowl (San Antonio) or the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl (San Diego).

In the Alamo Bowl, the Trojans are projected to face the Texas Tech Red Raiders while the Holiday Bowl would pit them against the Texas Longhorns. Both games could be good ones as the Red Raiders have been one of the top 20 teams in the country this season and the Longhorns have a long-standing tradition of excellence and a history of bowl games against the Trojans.