The race for the conference crown at this point in the season is between No. 3 USC (7-1 overall, 3-1 Pacific-10 Conference) and No. 6 Washington State (7-1, 4-0).
This is also the closest it comes to a conference championship game as the two teams will most likely present the toughest opponent for each other in the Pac-10 this season. They meet Saturday at 4 p.m. in Los Angeles.
USC is coming off a 43-23 pounding of Washington, while Washington State, thanks to a few late penalties on the Beavers, pulled out a 36-30 victory over Oregon State.
If records are any indication, then USC should dominate. The series is much in favor of the Trojans with Washington State having won only eight of the 62 matchups between the schools.
This same game last year decided who would be heading to the Rose Bowl, and it may do the same this year. However, this time, the loser may be the team heading to the Rose Bowl, while the winner — if still unbeaten — may have a shot at the national championship.
Washington State needed an overtime field goal to beat the Trojans, 30-27, a year ago. USC’s defense, ranked No. 1 at the time, gave up 516 yards of total offense to the Cougars.
Washington State has won 10 of its last 11 Pac-10 road games, including the last six straight. The Cougars allowed seven turnovers against Oregon State, yet still lead the Pac-10 in turnover margin at plus-12.
The Trojans are riding a few streaks of their own, with victories in 12 straight home games and 15 of its last 16 games overall. The Trojans are also 7-0 in November under third-year head coach Pete Carroll.
Scott Archer is a freelance sports reporter for the Emerald.