USC Trojans (6-1) vs. Oregon Ducks (6-1)
Saturday, October 31, 5:00 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: USC -3.0
*AllPac10 Game of the Week*

Sam’s Take (36 – 14):

With all due respect to the Arizona Wildcats, the Pac-10 champion will most likely be decided in Eugene this Saturday. In fact, there is still a chance that the winner of this game will be playing in Pasadena come January, and not for the Rose Bowl. Who would have thought this kind of scenario would be possible for either school about a month ago?

But here we are. College GameDay will be on hand for a potential Halloween classic at Autzen with BCS implications.

The Oregon Ducks enter Saturday’s game playing the best football of any team in the Pac-10. Chip Kelly’s explosive offense can score at any moment and Nick Aliotti’s defense has been wreaking havoc all season. Throw in superb special teams, and it’s easy to see why the Ducks are currently alone atop the Pac-10 standings.

While QB Jeremiah Masoli still isn’t 100%, he looked great against Washington and chances are he will be close to full speed by Saturday night. The Ducks will certainly look to utilize Masoli’s mobility against USC, as the Trojans have historically had trouble with dual-threat QBs. If Masoli can get the ‘SC defense to bite on a few of his well-orchestrated ball fakes, the field could open up for RB LaMichael James. ‘Quizz Rodgers proved that the Trojans are not impenetrable, so it should be interesting to see how Oregon’s rushing attack fares against the ‘SC D.

USC is finding its rhythm on offense at the perfect time. The Trojans have opened up the playbook more in the last three games (@ CAL, @ ND, OSU), which has allowed QB Matt Barkley to make some big plays in the vertical passing game. The ‘SC offense will be Oregon’s biggest test of the season, and I am most interested to see how the Ducks pass rush performs against the ultra-sturdy Trojan o-line. ‘SC will probably try to establish the run right away with RB Allen Bradford and RB Joe McKnight, and if they get going, look for big plays to be available for Barkley off of play action fakes (it wouldn’t surprise me to see Ronald Johnson get a deep ball thrown his way early).

Oregon has all of the ingredients to beat ‘SC this Saturday, and as we all know, the Ducks play at another level at Autzen. In many ways, I get the same feeling about this game that I did in 2007 when Oregon flat out beat the Trojans. But even with all of that said, I am going with USC for one major reason: Pete Carroll. Under Carroll, the Trojans have won this conference SEVEN straight times, and he knows how to prepare his team better than any coach in America when the stakes are highest. Until a Pac-10 team can beat ‘SC when it matters most, I cannot pick against them.

Prediction: USC 31 – Oregon 28

USC Player to Keep an Eye On: TE Blake Ayles - Anthony McCoy’s status is still up in the air, so Ayles could be a big part of the passing attack this week.

Oregon Player to Keep an Eye On: WR Jamere Holland - This game has added significance for Holland (transferred from ‘SC), and I’m sure the speedy wideout will be looking to make a big impact.

Dave’s Take (39 – 11):

How do you pick a side in such an evenly matched clash of Pac-10 superpowers? My inner dialogue is going something like this;

Oregon looks to be the team playing at a higher level right now, especially on defense.

True, but Oregon hasn’t faced an offensive line this strong yet. This could be the week that the pass rush gets slowed down, and those injuries in the secondary finally catch up to the Ducks.

Fair enough, but Oregon also has home field advantage, and we all know how crazy Autzen can get, especially when it comes to big games.

Yes, bet USC has already proven that they can beat tough teams on the road, they’ve beaten Ohio State, Cal, and Notre Dame! Not to mention, USC’s record against ranked opponents since October 19th, 2002 is a remarkable 32-2! Pete Carroll’s squads never lose the big game.

Never, except for those two times. Let’s see, Texas comes to mind… and oh, that’s right, THIS team, two years ago. The Ducks have beaten the Trojans 6 of the last 11 times they’ve played!

Yeah, but the Trojans have beaten the Ducks 4 of the last 5 times they’ve played!

And I go on like this for hours. The only conclusion I ever seem to come to is that this is going to be one hell of a game.

But alas, I am forced to make a decision, as there are no ties in college football. My gut says USC, but I think that’s just from years and years of dominance conditioning me to feel that way. The Ducks have looked more well-rounded, and they’ve got home field advantage. They’ve earned the respect.

Prediction: Oregon 26 – USC 24