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The PAC-12's last undefeated and most complete team, against its most hyped prospect in a long time. This year's Heisman's favorite vs. last year's Heisman winner. Who will come out on top? #5 Washington vs. #24 USC promises a lot of hype, but will it live up to it in reality? USC's season of high expectations has crashed back down to Earth, thanks to their back-to-back losses to Utah and Notre Dame, not to mention their defense's stretch of six straight games giving up 34+ points. They had a late comeback in a 50-49 win against 3-5 (1-4) Cal to stop the losing streak. However, they are still second in the PAC-12.
But Washington is undefeated, and they are a team sharply on the rise. They took down Oregon in a potential PAC-12 Championship preview and are ready for their next challenge. Here's all you need to know about how to watch Washington vs. USC.
Washington vs. USC: How to watch
Washington vs. USC is ABC's primetime game for this week. Tune into ABC on your TV, or stream it from any ESPN-affiliated site. Additionally, with no additional subscription, you can use fuboTV to watch.
Date: Saturday, November 4, 7:30 p.m. EDT
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
T.V. channel: ABC| Live stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)
FanDuel Odds: Washington -3 | O/U 76.5
Washington Storylines
Washinton entered the first College Football Playoff Committee ranking at #5. The last of the Power 5 unbeaten, but #3 Michigan is still embroiled in scandal and has a matchup with #1 Ohio State. Even without that game, Washinton may pass one of the teams above them on their own merit. They are entering a stretch of four games that includes three ranked teams and a plucky Washington State team. Winning out will make them impossible to deny.
It's easy to see why. After all, they have the current Heisman favorite, Michael Penix Jr., playing unbelievable football. In eight games, Penix has thrown for nearly 3000 yards, on 69% competition, 24 TDs, and just 6 INTs. And the Huskies defense has been good as well. They have been, thanks to their 36-33 win over #6 Oregon, the most well-rounded team in the conference. Despite the hype around Caleb Williams, they're still favorites on the road.
USC Storylines
USC football isn't where they'd hoped to be when the season began. Yes, Caleb Williams has been great and remains at the top of the NFL's wishlist for draft time. His numbers are nearly identical to Penix's, with 2,646 yards, 25 TDs, and 4 INTs. He has the Trojans scoring 42 ppg, only behind LSU for best in the nation. The problem is that their defense has been terrible. Giving up over 32 ppg, good (bad?) for 112th in the country. They are about as one-sided as you can possibly be as a Power 5 team in college football.
If they want to beat Washington and stay in contention for a PAC-12 title, their defense is going to have to play better than they've been all season long. Washington is better on both sides of the ball than any team USC has played so far, especially any team USC has beaten. Caleb Williams and the talent he has on offense can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the country. But not if his defense continues to play like Swiss cheese. If the defense pulls a rabbit out of a hat, they're in this game with a shot to win. Otherwise, they're still toast.
