No. 5 Washington faces No. 20 USC on the road in Week 10 in a contest that carries massive implications in Pac-12 Championship Game race. The Trojans have been written off by many following losses to Notre Dame and Utah (not to mention a number of close calls), the Trojans remain very much alive in the Pac-12 title race. USC is still 5-1 in Pac-12 play, and a win in this spot would move the Trojans into first place in the conference.
As for the Huskies, they're in first place in the league right now but have more to play for than a conference title. At No. 5 in the first College Football Playoff Rankings, the Huskies are on the outside looking at the moment. This comes as a slight surprise seeing as the Huskies have a win over No. 6 Oregon, but like USC, the they have spent a lot of time struggling to put teams away. Since that win against the Ducks, Washington has struggled with both Arizona State and Stanford -- two teams that are a combined 2-9 in Pac-12 play.
Both the Huskies and Trojans will have to step up their game this weekend to emerge victorious.
Follow along with LIVE updates from Saturday's game between USC and Washington
How to watch USC vs. Washington live
Date: Saturday, Nov. 4 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum -- Los Angeles, California
TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
USC vs. Washington: Need to know
This is the first meeting since 2019: Even though they share a conference, USC and Washington were in opposite divisions until this season when the Pac-12 scrapped them altogether. As a result, the Huskies and Trojans haven't played nearly as often. The last meeting was during the 2019 season. Washington won the game 28-14 at Husky Stadium, but a lot has changed since then. Chris Petersen coached the Huskies at the time while USC was led by Clay Helton. Also, while Washington has won two of the last three meetings dating back to 2015, USC has had the better of the series overall, going 51-30-4 against the Huskies.
Washington has won 15 straight games: These Huskies are on a roll. Their 15-game win streak is the second longest active streak at the FBS level, trailing Georgia's 25-game run. It's also the third-longest win streak in program history. The team last lost to Arizona State 45-38 last October. The Huskies have won 11 straight Pac-12 games, and a win here would tie the school's longest conference win streak of 12 games (set over the 1996 and 1997 seasons). It would also extend Washington's win streak against ranked opponents from six to seven. That's not the longest in program history, though. The Huskies won 10 straight against ranked teams from 1990 to 1992.
USC QB Caleb Williams has struggled against ranked teams: It's no secret the reigning Heisman winner has struggled in some of USC's biggest games. While Williams is 20-0 as a starter against unranked teams, with 80 touchdowns and seven interceptions, there's a steep drop-off against ranked squads. Williams is only 3-7 as a starter in 10 games against ranked opponents, with 29 touchdownd and 10 interceptions. That includes four straight losses against ranked foes. This isn't great news for the Trojans since their final three games of the season are all against ranked opponents (Washington, Oregon and UCLA).
USC vs. Washington prediction, picks
Odds via SportsLine consensus
Both of these teams have struggled to put away inferior competition in recent weeks, and you know why? Because it's hard to pull away from teams when you let them score against you. As potent as both these offenses are, they both have problems defensively. Now, USC's defense has been far friendlier to opponents than Washington's, but I've seen worse offenses than USC's have plenty of success against the Huskies. There's a reason the total for this game is as high as it is, and I'm inclined to believe it needs to be a little higher. Pick: Over 76
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