Cal-USC Preview

USC defeated Cal last season, and has won four straight in the series since a loss at Berkley in 2003. The Trojans have also won 42 of their last 43 games at their home, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Every year it seems that that USC-Cal matchup is over hyped as USC has been dominant lately and should again reign supreme this year. The Trojans have, besides their nationally televised upset loss at Oregon State, played like a national title contender this season. Before getting caught up in any national title hype, though, it needs to first win the Pac-10 outright.

The Trojans, who are ranked 7th in the country look to win their sixth straight game on Saturday when they host No. 21. USC. Troy has won a share of the last six Pac-10 titles, and owns a half-game lead of the Pac-10 over the Golden Bears and Oregon State. The Beavers upset the then No. 1 Trojans 27-21 on Sept. 25, and USC has been taking out its frustration from that loss on each foe ever since. In last Saturday's 56-0 win over Washington, USC had 18 first downs and 325 yards of total offense in the first half, compared to two first downs and 35 yards for the Huskies. That is what you call complete domination.

With the victory, the Trojans improved to 24-0 in November games since Pete Carroll was hired as coach in 2001. The Bears have won four of five, and are coming off a win over Oregon last week. Nate Longshore passed for 136 yards and a touchdown in place of Kevin Riley, who suffered a concussion on a vicious hit late in the first quarter. California coach Jeff Tedford said Riley might be healthy enough to play this week, but has yet to name a starter. Longshore started for the Bears in 2006 and 2007 and has two career starts against the Trojans, as both were losses.

Carroll's defense is tops in the NCAA in total defense (211 yards per game), scoring defense (7.1 points per game) and opponent passer rating (82.3). This is the type of defense that should not be bet against under any circumstances. Furthermore, Cal has a history of not showing up against USC, in their annual clash in recent memory. Cal has a good mixture of talent and any offense coached by Jeff Tedford has a chance to win a game. However, look for the superior talent and speed of the USC defense to dominate this game and continue USC’s attempt to crash the BCS party. Trojans 48 Cal 27

Thanks, Claudious Minimus