Both USC and Washington have aspirations of winning the conference title and elite quarterbacks in Michael Penix Jr. for the Huskies and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams for the Trojans.
Washington coach Kalen DeBoer has coached championship teams at the lower levels of college football before and knows there are going to be rough patches even in the best of seasons.
This time of the season, those head-to-head results can become challenging for voters in The AP college football poll. Oklahoma slipped to No. 10 after losing to a good Kansas, that jumped into the rankings at No. 23.
Michael Penix Jr. threw four touchdown passes and No. 5 Washington held off a fierce comeback attempt to beat Stanford 42-33 for its 15th straight win.
Oregon St. and Wash. St. claim the actions of the Pac-12 and Comm'r George Kliavkoff in response to members announcing their intent to leave the conference.
For the past four seasons, Mike Hopkins has tried to rediscover the formula that made his first couple of teams at Washington so successful. And now in what could be his last chance with the Huskies,