5 Things To Watch For In USC vs. Washington

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Mar 3, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans coach Steve Sarkisian at spring practice at Cromwell Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

USC vs. Washington puts the Trojans back on the football field after a weekend off. The game also marks the first time the men of Troy will be back in action at the Coliseum after the Week 3 loss to Stanford.

Here’s five things to watch for when the Trojans take on the Huskies:

1) Sarkisian vs. Petersen III

Steve Sarkisian and Chris Petersen have met twice before as the head coaches of Washington and Boise State respectively.

Meeting number three will settled the series for the time being.

Petersen took the first contest in the 2012 Las Vegas Bowl as Boise State beat Washington 28-26, but it didn’t take long for Sarkisian’s Huskies to get their revenge the following season smacking the Broncos 38-6 in the opener.

Adding to the intrigue, both Petersen and Sarkisian were in the running for the USC job. When Sarkisian took the offer from the Trojans, Petersen stepped into the vacancy he left at Washington. With such close connections, it is hard not to compare the two in terms of success at their new posts.

Though Sarkisian took the edge in terms of total victories, his Trojans were just one win better than the Huskies. Factoring in expectations at the two programs, Sarkisian’s seat is certainly the warmer of the two.

That’s what makes this match up so important. USC’s loss to Stanford looks better than the initial impression but a second loss in five could spell the beginning of the end for Sarkisian, who faces an even more difficult slate going forward.