Staff Predictions: USC vs. Washington

The USC Trojans are on a roll after they won their fifth straight game with a victory over Oregon last weekend. Now, the stakes are high as they travel to Seattle to face the #4 Washington Huskies. Here are our staff predictions:

Julian Lopez: Washington 28 - USC 24

This is such a tough game for me. I love how the Trojans are playing right now but I have watched a lot of Washington this year and I think the Trojans have a problem with moving the ball on Saturday.

Nick Dempsey: Washington 35 - USC 24

I’m totally with Julian on this one. This USC team is red hot and almost everything is coming together nicely for them. The Huskies though are insanely talented and fundamentally sound. It will be extremely difficult though not impossible for USC to pull off the upset in Seattle. I think we will see that this young USC team has come a long, long way from the last time they played a playoff contender on the road.

Darrien Starling: USC 42 - Washington 38

Call me crazy but I am going with the upset in this one. Washington has been flawless all season, but I believe the Trojans will ride their momentum and come out on fire. Washington is due for an ‘off’ game and I feel that they are playing USC at the wrong time. I think the game will be close and I predict that the Trojans will score a late touchdown at the end of the game to take the lead.

Matthew Lowry: USC 27 - Washington 42

I think this game could be closer than expected and honestly believe USC could pull off an upset here. USC is riding a 5 game winning streak and playing some great football coming into their game with a very talented Washington team. I believe this will be the game where USC runs into a wall here against the Huskies. Washington is a very talented and well coached team and the Trojans will have to play close to a perfect game to win this one. USC can get away with mistakes such as penalties and turnovers against teams like Oregon and Cal, however they won’t be able to get away making those type of mistakes and miscues against Washington. I think USC competes early on but Washington will flex it’s muscles on USC.

Steve Walter: USC 28 - Washington 27

Two teams with everything to play for. There’s no question, this one’s gonna be a ‘dawg fight.’ If you were to ask me who’s the better football team, I’d have to go with Washington. They’ve done everything right this year. The defense, ranked 11th in the nation, has been flying around the football field, holding opponents to an average of 17 points per game. On offense, Jake Browning has emerged as true leader and Heisman candidate. And Chris Peterson is probably the best coach in the conference.

But here’s the catch - going undefeated in the Pac-12 is really, really hard. College football logic tells you that Washington will drop a game somewhere along the way, and this Saturday might be the best chance for that to happen. If USC can protect the ball, and avoid too many penalties, they have a legit shot at the upset. This time, they will be prepared. My call: Clay finally wins ‘the big game’ in a thriller.

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