USC football suffered their first loss of the season last weekend against Notre Dame, and they now have another difficult test this Saturday against Utah football. Last year, the Utes were a major bugaboo for the Trojans as they kept them from winning the Pac-12 championship and making the College Football Playoff. Utah and USC played twice last year, once in the regular season, and again in the Pac-12 title game, and Utah won both games. Because of the drama that has surrounded the two teams in recent years and the big matchups between them, it's starting to feel like a little bit like a rivalry. However, Utah football head coach Kyle Whittingham doesn't think it's quite to that point.

“It’s been great,” Kyle Whittingham said according to an article from 247 Sports. “I don’t want to call it a rivalry, because I don’t think that’s the situation, but it’s been a great back-and-forth series. Like you said, implications typically every year. Most every year: conference implications, championship implications. Of course, we played them in the championship game last year. So it’s turned out to be a very competitive and very intense football game, and I’m sure this year will be no different.”

This game is yet again a big one for each team. USC is coming into this battle ranked #18 in the country and they have a 6-1 record. Another loss will officially crush their hopes of making the College Football Playoff, and the Utes have been good at supplying that final blow to the Trojans.

As for Utah, they are also coming into this game with just one loss as they currently sit at 5-1 and they are ranked #14 in the nation. The Utes have been without star quarterback Cam Rising all year long, and this team would probably look a lot different if he was on the team. Another loss for Utah will also derail their hopes of making the CFP, and their Pac-12 title hopes will likely be out the window as well. USC's lone loss came against an out-of-conference team, so they are still undefeated in Pac-12 play.

USC comes into this one favored by 6.5, and it should be another great game between these two teams.