USC vs. Stanford: Plenty On The Line

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

With no love lost between USC and Stanford, homecoming will have a little extra buzz because of the potential ramifications.

For starter’s, ESPN’s College GameDay will be on campus.

As for on the field, both teams are riding multiple-game winning streaks, and can ill-afford another conference loss because of previous mishaps.

What’s at stake for Stanford…

The Cardinal were defeated by Utah on Oct. 12.  With under one minute remaining, they had an opportunity to tie the game with a touchdown, and take the lead with the point after, but they were unable to convert on fourth and goal.

By defeating Oregon, the Cardinal moved atop the Pac-12 North standings and at minimum, have their sights set on reaching the conference title game for the second consecutive season.

If the Cardinal lose to the Trojans, it would be their second conference loss and move them back behind the Ducks just as quickly as they overtook them.

A victory doesn’t guarantee the Cardinal victors of the North, as they have one final conference game against Cal on Nov. 23.

Though it would take some shifting at the top, the Cardinal are still in the picture to make the BCS title game.  A second loss would effectively put an end to any possibility of them reaching it.

What’s at stake for USC…

The Trojans’ baffling loss came at home to Washington State in just the second week of the season.

At the time, Lane Kiffin was still juggling two quarterbacks and the offense was unable to score more than one touchdown.

Since the loss to the Cougars, the Trojans dropped another conference game to Arizona State.

However slim or unrealistic it may be, the Trojans still have hopes of winning the Pac-12 South and reaching the conference title game.

The Trojans currently sit in third place in the division, and have the opportunity to play one team that’s ahead of them — UCLA on Nov. 30.

In order to reach the Pac-12 title game, the Trojans need to win out, and hope the Sun Devils lose two of their final three conference games.

A loss to the Cardinal, and the Trojans will be relegated to playing for a spot in a lower-tier bowl game.