USC football is in a tough place following recent losses to Notre Dame and Utah, and a very close win over a struggling California team. Things get no easier, however, as the Trojans get ready to take on Washington this weekend. USC head football coach Lincoln Riley knows his team has to be ready to take on the challenge.

“Good football team,” Riley said, per Trojans Live. “They’ve done a great job this year. Quarterback’s obviously played at a high level, and does a great job of distributing to their play-makers, which they’ve got a really good group of play-makers.”

Washington enters the game undefeated at 8-0 and ranked fifth in the country. Michael Penix Jr. is playing his butt off at quarterback for the Huskies, throwing for nearly 3,000 yards this season with 24 touchdowns to only 6 interceptions. The team is coming off a couple of hard fought wins though against mediocre teams. Washington beat Stanford last Saturday 42-33, and struggled with Arizona State the week before that. The opportunity is certainly there for the Trojans to take the game. USC must win in order to stay competitive in the Pac 12 championship race.

USC football enters the game this weekend with a 7-2 overall record, and 5-1 in the conference. The team can move into first place in the league if it is able to defeat Washington this weekend. A loss will certainly damage the Trojans' chances of winning the Pac 12 conference. Both schools are moving on to the Big 10 conference. The game's likely to be their final meeting as members of the Pac 12.

USC and Washington play at 7:30 Eastern on Saturday.