Read Loyal Homer and Bleacher Fan’s argument for what they believe is the best game of the upcoming weekend.
It was a brisk September day in the upper Northwest. Southern Cal was preparing for a game they were all too happy to be playing. Their confidence was riding high after just defeating top ten ranked Ohio State the week before. All of the college football experts around the country were handing them a spot in the BCS national title game. The running game was clicking and the defense looked as solid as it ever had since Pete Carroll first took the coaching reigns.
Sounds like 2009, right? Wrong. That is a description of the week after USC beat Ohio State in 2008. You know, the week of game preparation leading up to their surprising defeat at the hands of the Oregon State Beavers.
The Trojans were confident after dismantling what was believed to be the best team in the country early in the 2008 season in Ohio State. But, they were surprised in Corvallis, Oregon by a well coached, fast team led by a little (he is 5’7”) and little known running back named Jacquizz Rodgers. Rodgers slashed and dashed his way to 186 yards against the Trojans and a pair of scores en route to a 27-21 victory on the strength of a big first half.
Southern Cal’s trip up to the Pacific Northwest must feel familiar to Carroll, even though most of the defense and his young freshman quarterback Matt Barkley do not remember last season. The Trojans are taking on a Washington Huskies team in Seattle on Saturday that has put up 65 points in its first two games this season. The Huskies bear some resemblance to last season’s Beavers, too. The Beavers scored 59 points in their final two games before taking on the Trojans last season.
The Huskies are led by the multi-talented/rarely healthy Jake Locker under center. Locker has already throw five touchdown passes in two games and is completing 60 percent of his passes. What makes Locker such a difficult player to handle is that he is also the team’s second leading rusher with 69 yards and a touchdown in two games.
Like Rodgers last season, Washington has a small (5’11”) and speedy running back that could catch the Trojans off guard. Freshman tailback Chris Polk has already rushed for 170 years and a touchdown on the young season, and has the skills to do some damage against the Trojans.
Washington is also coached by former Trojan offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian. Sarkisian knows the Trojan’s tendencies and their offense inside and out.
The best game of THIS weekend is Southern Cal visiting the Washington Huskies not because of the great history or the high rankings. It is because the third ranked Trojans are a good possibility to get defeated on Saturday by a smart coach with an edge and a group of highly motivated players. Sounds like the ingredients for a delicious upset, and a great football game.
Posted by Sports Geek 
