ARLINGTON, Texas – The No. 10 Southern California Trojans (11-2, 8-1 Pac-12) waged its final full practice at AT&T Stadium on Saturday afternoon in advance of its Monday matchup with the No. 16 Tulane Green Wave (11-2, 7-1 AAC).

Coach Lincoln Riley's squad practiced a little under two hours before the Trojans' projected starters on offense, defense and special teams participated in media day festivities, even as the first of the College Football Playoff semifinals kicked off on the other side of the country.

Heisman Trophy winning QB Caleb Williams acknowledged that while the Trojans had their sights on a College Football Playoff bid, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic carries tremendous significance for not only the conclusion of this season, but the future of the program.

"Obviously, we wanted to be in the College Football Playoff, but to be able to uplift the team, to go 102, and hopefully 112 at the end of this, is pretty special" Williams said. "We're proud of it. But you want to be in the College Football Playoff and be in a position to get a National Championship. And so not being in there, obviously, you feel some way about it.

"But getting to this point, get to go to the Cotton Bowl [Classic], the New Year's Six bowl, it's a special bowl. It's one of the most historic bowls. And to be able to get a win and come out 122 at the end of this year, how special it's been and what we've been able to achieve and do and carry huge momentum for the new guys coming in from transfers to freshmen and for the guys coming back. It's going to be special for us. We've been in positions where we're this close and that close to going to the College Football Playoff. So it will help build a springboard to where we want to be next year."

This will be the first time in 76 years that the Trojans have faced off against the Green Wave. USC played Tulane in 1931, 1942 and 1946 and holds a 2-1 record. In 1931, the Trojans, under head coach Howard Jones, beat the Green Wave in the 1932 Rose Bowl to cap a national championship season.

The trip to the Cotton Bowl is a homecoming for Coach Riley, who grew up in Muleshoe, Texas. The head coach is not the only one in the Trojans' locker room making a return to the Lone Star State. USC has 11 players on its roster that list Texas as their home. A chance to play a high-profile bowl game in Texas also provides the opportunity for further exposure in a state with a rich tradition of producing football players.

"It is awesome," Coach Riley said. "It has been forever a great recruiting area. Obviously, at my different stops, I have had an opportunity to coach guys from the state, that were not just phenomenal players but phenomenal people. I have developed some great relationships in this state with so many people and so many coaches that certainly continue on. Even our team right now, USC, we have a lot of Texas guys on this team and a few more coming. This will always be a part of where we recruit because we believe in the football here and the quality of athletes and how they are coached."

USC will conduct its final walk-through on Sunday before taking the field against the American Athletic Conference champion. USC is 9-3-0 against teams from the American Athletic Conference, most recently defeating Houston 26-9 in an away game in 1996.

The 87th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is Monday, Jan. 2 at noon CT on ESPN and ESPN Radio. Kickoff is slated for 12:10 p.m.

This year's Classic is a part of the ESPN bowl lineup for the ninth straight year. Mark Jones and Robert Griffin III are set to the call the action from the booth with Quint Kessenich reporting from the sidelines. ESPN Radio returns as the Classic's national radio partner for the ninth consecutive year with Brad Sham and Dusty Dvoracek in the booth and Taylor McGregor on the sidelines to describe all the action from AT&T Stadium.

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