USC vs. Oregon 2009: The Battle for Pac-10 Supremacy

The Pac-10 may no longer be a one-team conference.

The conference's top spot will be up for grabs tonight when the fifth-ranked USC Trojans travel up to Eugene, Ore. to face off against the 10th-ranked Oregon Ducks.

And who could've imagined how big USC vs. Oregon would be after the way the first couple of weeks of the college football season played out?

USC opened up their campaign by steamrolling through San Jose State, then went to Columbus and squeaked by the Ohio State Buckeyes, ranked No. 8 at the time. And they did this with a true freshman quarterback in Matt Barkley.

On the other end of the spectrum, Oregon began their season by being embarrassed by Boise State on the blue turf and watching their star running back LeGarrette Blount get himself suspended for punching a member of the Broncos and almost going into the stands to fight the fans. The next week, they snuck past a below-average Purdue team.

Now, both teams are 6-1 and ranked in the top 10 nationally. USC's only loss of the season came at the hands of Washington in their third game of the season, while the Boise State loss remains the only blemish on Oregon's record.

The Trojans have been extremely vulnerable over their last two games. They needed a last-second defensive stand against Notre Dame to leave South Bend with a win and had to make some plays on the offensive side in the final minutes to take down a pesky Oregon State team that has given them problems over the last few years. The USC defense has looked less than stellar over those two games, giving up a total of 63 points in two weeks after only giving up only 43 total points in their first five games of the season.

Meanwhile, the Ducks have been one of the hottest teams in the country since losing their only game. After their narrow victory over Purdue, Oregon defeated Utah at home. Their next four games were against Pac-10 competition, where they won all four games by a combined score of 161-38. This included a victory over then-No.6 Cal, 42-3.

The key for USC tonight is on the defensive side of the ball. The Trojans haven't had a problem scoring and if their defense can play like they did in their first five games, they should come away victorious. If there is one thing to watch for on offense, it's how Matt Barkley responds to the raucous Autzen Stadium atmosphere.

On the other side, Oregon has to be able to throw the ball successfully. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has been on fire over the last month, but his feet are still a bigger weapon than his arm. The Ducks must be able to run the ball in order to open up the field for the passing game and the rest of their playmakers.

The USC vs. Oregon game will shatter one team's hopes of a national championship. Who will come out victorious in one of the biggest games of the 2009 college football season?