Heading into the 2012 season, Saturday's game between the Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans was predicted to be a battle of teams contending for not only the Pac-12 championship, but also the National Championship. With two losses, USC has fallen out of the National Championship picture, but Saturday's game still looms large.
Oregon vs. USC 2012: Game previews, TV schedule, odds and more
The No. 4 Oregon Ducks face their biggest test of the season when they go on the road to face No. 17 USC on Saturday. Head here for national college football coverage all day Saturday and beyond. Follow @SBNationCFB
Jonathan Ferrey
The Ducks have rarely been tested this season, but could face their biggest test of the year on Saturday. Oregon is coming off a 70-14 win against Colorado, but have played just two road games this season. The Ducks currently have the highest scoring offense in the country, averaging 53.4 points per game. Oregon is third in the country, averaging 330.6 rushing yards per game.
Kenjon Barner and De'Anthony Thomas lead the Ducks' ground attack. Barner has rushed for 974 yards in eight games while Thomas is averaging 8.6 yards per attempt. Barner has rushed for at least 100 yards in four straight games.
The Trojans fell out of the National Championship picture with their 39-36 loss to Arizona last week, but Saturday’s game is key for their Pac-12 Championship chances. USC is one of three teams with two conference losses in the Pac-12 South. If USC is able to keep pace with Oregon’s high-powered offense, they will likely need another big game from Marqise Lee. Lee set a Pac-12 record last week with 345 receiving yards. He is currently second in the country with 1,129 receiving yards.
USC upset the Ducks ,38-35, last season.
Game time, TV channel: 7 p.m. ET, FOX
Point spread: Oregon favored by 6 points
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