Dr. Pepper
The 2023 college football season did not pan out how the University of Southern California envisioned, as the Trojans saw things fall apart in a fairly brutal fashion after getting off to a 6-0 start. What went wrong? Well, a Dr. Pepper commercial starring Caleb Williams may have been the turning point.
Sportsbooks thought the USC Trojans would win around 10 games when everything was said and done this year, and the program had to be optimistic it would live up to those expectations thanks to Caleb Williams, the wildly talented quarterback who headed into the season as a Heisman Trophy favorite and presumptive top overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
USC was ranked at #6 in the AP Poll when the campaign kicked off and peaked at #5 before things came crashing down following back-to-back losses to Notre Dame and Utah in the middle of October. The team’s loss to Washington on November 4th was arguably its low point, as Williams was incredibly emotional in the wake of the 52-42 defeat at the hands of the Huskies.
It seems like the QB has played his final college football game after the Trojans dropped their third contest in a row by wrapping up the regular season with a 38-20 loss to UCLA on Saturday. USC is eligible for a bowl, but it’s highly unlikely Williams will risk injury by suiting up for an essentially meaningless showdown.
So what went wrong? Well, as one fan on Reddit recently pointed out, Williams may have tempted fate by starring in a Dr. Pepper “Fansville” ad where he dismissed the notion he’s superstitious by walking under multiple ladders, holding a black cat, and calling attention to the fact that he wears #13.
That commercial dropped around the same time USC lost its first game of the season to the Fighting Irish, which marked the beginning of the 1-5 skid where their only win came in the form of a one-point victory over Cal.
Sure, you can argue there were other factors that led to that collapse, but until someone can firmly disprove a Dr. Pepper ad didn’t play a role, I’m going to operate under the assumption that was the case.