When Oregon travels to USC on Saturday night, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Obviously, the CFP is on the line. Both teams need a win for their playoff hopes. This is the expectation for both programs. More than that, though, this game will decide who the West Coast’s supreme team is. To understand the significance, we must look back before we look at the game itself.
The Rise of Troy
USC ran the West for eons. The Trojans established themselves as the dominant West Coast team. This helped elevate them to the national powerhouse status they enjoyed.
USC enjoyed a unique distinction of being a marquee brand based in the West, the only one. All other college powers were based in the South or Midwest. This was thanks to the Rose Bowl. It was rare not to see the cardinal and gold in Pasadena on New Year’s Day.
USC endured some lean years in the 90s, but those set the stage for their biggest statement yet. Pete Carroll completely transformed USC both on and off the field.
USC had three Heisman winners, two national titles, finished in the AP Top 5 for six straight years, and were considered the standard in college football.
Off the field, they embraced their Hollywood backyard, going all in on the glitz and glamor. Little did they know it would lead to their downfall.
The Fall of Troy
Since Carroll’s departure, coupled with NCAA sanctions, USC hasn’t been the same program since 2010. Only one Rose Bowl win since then (also their only New Year’s Six (NY6) bowl win) was unthinkable. For the once dominant program of the West, this was stunning.
They’ve had good coaches: Lane Kiffin, Steve Sarkisian, and now Lincoln Riley. The problem is all those guys either enjoyed their success before or after arriving in Southern California.
While SC has fallen from its heights, they’ve seen a team from up the five churn through coaches too. At the same time, that other team has replaced them as the West’s team.
Flashy New Ducks
It started in the 90s, then Uncle Phil came with Nike, and it exploded in the new millennium. Before 1994, Oregon hadn’t finished ranked by the AP since 1948. Since 2007, they have finished ranked in 15 of 19 AP polls.
Oregon has done this under six head coaches—more than USC has had in this time.
No other West Coast program (Colorado is more Midwest, bite me) has won a Heisman in the last 20 years. Furthermore, the Ducks are the only West team to have won multiple NY6 bowls since 2014.
These factors have largely shaped the narrative of my generation (a college kid presently), seeing not USC but Oregon as the prominent college football team out West. That can all change Saturday night, though.
The Game
Oregon is 8-2 against USC since 2009, including four straight victories. That includes a 42-27 win last season in a top-15 showdown.
USC quarterback Jayden Maiava enters leading the nation in both passing yards and touchdowns. On the other side, Ducks quarterback Dante Moore has plummeted his draft stock with an abysmal performance in his only prior road test at Oklahoma State this year.
The Ducks also got an injury blow when star wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan was sidelined with a broken foot. Oregon does catch a break, though, with a Friday game for them last week. Additionally, USC is making the return trip across the country from Rutgers last time out.
Conclusion
This game should be an offensive shootout despite the questions about Oregon, as both teams are in the top 20 nationally for yards per game. Also, USC’s big sticking point this year is how shaky the defense has looked the last couple of games. They have given up 30 or more points to both Louisiana and Rutgers.
The deciding factor in this game will be how Moore responds when faced with adversity again. Can he overcome the flaws that have plagued him when Oregon goes down against a high-caliber opponent? Then, for USC, it’s how their key freshman skill position players, wideout Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and tight end Mark Bowman, will step up in their first big test of college football. Even more important, fellow stud freshman Trent Mosley is doubtful for Saturday.
It’s not an exaggeration to say this is the biggest Oregon-USC game ever. Sure, it might not have a conference title on the line or be a highly ranked matchup. This game will tell us whether Oregon is still a playoff-caliber team and the team to beat in the West. On the other hand, will it be USC finally getting a statement win under Lincoln Riley and reasserting themself as both the dominant West Coast program and, in turn, on the national stage once again?
