First, Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) has had a terrific season in Detroit. He has become a central component of the Lions’ offense and their go-to guy when they need a 3rd and 6 conversion to seal a game or keep a key drive alive. St. Brown has made hugely important and timely catches late in games to provide the defining difference for a franchise that has returned to the NFC title game for the first time in 32 years. St. Brown has been a game-changer for Detroit. USC fans want him to taste Super Bowl glory.

The other reason USC fans will root for the Lions is that Aidan Hutchinson — Detroit’s star pass rusher — is a product of Shaun Nua (left), the man who developed Hutchinson at Michigan before moving to USC. Hutchinson making the Super Bowl would give Nua a bigger, better recruiting pitch to make on the trail in search of game-changing pass rushers who would bolster the Trojans’ defense heading into the Big Ten.