USC vs. Stanford Match Up

They’re baaaaaaaack.

“They”, being the Stanford Cardinal, the only team in the Pac-12 that might be more arrogant than arrogant nation. And they have good reason to be: Not only have great things come from the university, like Google—not sure if you’ve heard of it—but their football program also has a lot to be arrogant about in recent years. In the past five encounters, the Cardinal aka the Farm has walked away from a game against the Trojans with a win four times.

So obviously, the Trojans are looking to change some things this time around. This will not be an easy task, as Stanford is looking pretty legit right about now.

The Trojans are going to have their work cut out for them as they try to stop The Farm’s running game, which so nasty I almost don’t even want to talk about it. In their victory last week over the Huskies, they put up 65 points 446 rushing yards. Four hundred. And forty-six. Rushing. Yards. Let that sink in for a second…that’s is a filhty, FILTY, amount of rushing yards. Not to mention the 169 yards they acquired through the air, but their running game has got to be their strongest point. They run the best Power-I in the country right now, putting seven (SEVEN!) O-linemen on the field and three tight ends, not to mention their star running back combo of Stephan Taylor and Tyler Gaffney who are both averaging more than 13 yards a carry, and they DARE you to stop the run.

Yeah, they are THAT cold.

Oh, and they also have this quarterback named Andrew Luck. He’s alright.

Then again, one could argue that Stanford hasn’t played anyone good this season—and they really haven’t—so their big wins have been expected. The Trojans are the only real threat Stanford will face before they play the Ducks, and USC actually could be a legitimate BCS-buster for them. Expect the Cardinal to bring it’s A-game; they have just as much reason to want the W as the Trojans do.

If USC wants to hang with the Cardinal, their defense has to be on point. Andrew Luck is just as comfortable out of the pocket as he is in, but getting pressure on his is an absolute must. Also, the Trojan’s rush defense is going to have to collapse pockets like the 1920 stock market if they want to contain any and all of Stanford’s ground game specialists.

On the other side of the ball, USC fans better hope that the clutch Matt Barkley shows up and commands his troops efficiently. Barkley usually plays fabulously at home, so it’s not a stretch to assume he will do so. Also, USC’s new-found running game is going to be critical in this game—there is no way the Trojans can secure the W without a balanced offensive assault. Stanford’s defense really hasn’t been tested all that much, but they look nice. Nothing too special, but they would very much so love to hand USC its second loss of the season, much like USC is looking to hand Stanford it’s first.

It very well might be the best game in the Coliseum this season.

ESPN’s College Game Day must’ve agreed, as they decided to bring the Game Day bus back to LA for this game. It also helped that the formerly undefeated Oklahoma Sooners decided to be anti-clutch and lose to Texas Tech, but that’s beside the point. College Game Day will be here, and it will be AWESOME.

    If you’re in the L.A. area around 6 a.m. tomorrow, you should come out to it because it is a great experience. This will be my 3^rd Game Day, and I absolutely cannot wait! The first 1,000 fans get free breakfast burritos, and coffee and donuts will be served throughout the morning. Be sure to come out!

Ok, shameless plug aside, this game is about to be unreal. USC is coming off a big road win at Notre Dame last week, and will be playing in front of a sold-out crowd in the Coli for the first time in what seems like ages. They do not want to let their fans down. I think USC has what it takes to edge Stanford out, but this is going to be a close game. The last two games between these teams were decided by a field goal, and don’t think the Trojans have forgot about it. This time around though, I think Andrew’s Luck will run out (see what I did there?), and USC will come out on top with a final score of 31-28.

I hope you’re ready to roll, because it’s gonna be NUTS! Kick-off is at 5 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN. Be there or be square!

Game on.