There is a distinct possibility that for the first time since 1998, both Oregon and USC could finish outside the AP top-25 in the same season. Two programs that have dominated the conference for nearly two decades are each making a late-season scramble to save face as bowl season approaches.
Oregon (3-5, 1-4) won its first conference matchup of the season last weekend while the Trojans (5-3, 4-2) have won four straight games since the start of October. Both teams have taken a step in the right direction recently, and for each program, much of that newfound success can be attributed to freshman quarterbacks. Oregon’s Justin Herbert and USC’s Sam Darnold will have plenty of weapons to work with this weekend in Los Angeles.
Here are the players to watch when USC and Oregon face off on Saturday:
USC
JuJu Smith-Schuster — Wide Receiver
After verbally committing to Oregon late in the 2014 recruiting process, JuJu Smith-Schuster spurned the Ducks on signing day and chose instead to sign with the Trojans. Since then, he has been one of the most productive players in college football and is expected to be one of the first five wide receivers taken in the upcoming NFL Draft. Smith-Schuster can score in a multitude of ways, and has caught eight touchdowns this season — tied for fifth-most in the nation. He got off to a bit of a slow start, but since Darnold took over at quarterback on Sept. 23, Smith-Schuster has averaged 106 yards per game and looked completely unstoppable.
Adoree’ Jackson — Cornerback/Special Teams
Adoree’ Jackson spent last year proving he is one of the best overall athletes in the country in any sport. He earned first team all-Pac-12 honors during the 2015 season while splitting time at cornerback and wide receiver, and he was the only player nationally to accumulate at least 400 yards receiving, 600 in kickoff returns, 200 in punt returns and 30 tackles. If that weren’t enough, he competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene last summer in the long jump. Jackson has already picked off two passes this season and has returned a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown. He is expected to be one of the first cornerbacks off the board in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Oregon 
Tony Brooks-James — Running Back
Brooks-James has been a breakout force for the Ducks over the past two weeks and ran for 132 yards on just nine carries last Saturday. Just 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, Brooks-James is beginning to remind Oregon fans of LaMichael James — he even got a shoutout on Twitter from the former Oregon All-American last week. While Royce Freeman has struggled through injuries this season, Brooks-James has been Oregon’s most consistent running back and leads the Ducks in yards per-carry by a large margin. Oregon will need Brooks-James — as well as its other three tailbacks — to run hard through the tackles this weekend if it hopes to top a rangy USC defense that has improved at tackling in the open field since the start of the year.
Jimmie Swain — Linebacker 
Swain led the Ducks with nine tackles during their victory last week and has emerged as a consistent presence for an Oregon linebacker unit that has been decimated by injuries this year. Earlier in the week, Oregon linebackers coach Don Pellum told reporters Swain is the only player on Oregon’s roster who can play all three linebacker positions. He’ll start at the MIKE spot this week and will need to deliver the same type of performance he did against Arizona State if Oregon hopes to slow down a Trojans running attack that averages 204 yards per-game. If Swain and freshman linebacker Troy Dye can each provide steady play on a weekly basis, Oregon’s defense will begin to climb out of the Pac-12 cellar sooner rather than later.
Follow Jarrid Denney on Twitter @jarrid_denney