O/NSO: Beat the Ducks! – USC at No. 6 Oregon edition

The Obvious: There is a growing consensus at this time of the season that the No. 6 Oregon Ducks (8-1/5-1 Pac-12) are now superior to the undefeated No. 5 Washington Huskies (9-0/6-0 Pac-12), and this Saturday evening (7:30 p.m. PT) in chilly and potentially wet Autzen Stadium, the now unranked USC Trojans (7-3/5-2 Pac-12) will be able to make the comparison firsthand in front of a sold-out stadium in Eugene and millions more watching on FOX. The Not So Obvious: While there is no suspense regarding any national championship aspirations for the Trojans and a wildly unexpected mathematical formula for Lincoln Riley’s team to slip in through the Pac-12 title game backdoor, the main intrigue of this game is how the USC defense performs under interim co-defensive coordinators Shaun Nua and Brian Odom, both of whom replaced the fired Alex Grinch. It probably doesn’t matter, but it still adds some intrigue to the contest.