College Football game of the week (No. 14 Utah at No. 18 USC)

This Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, is a PAC-12 showdown between No. 14 Utah Utes and No. 18 USC Trojans. The teams will play Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Coliseum and will air on Fox.

The Utes are coming off a dominant 34-14 win over California. Bryson Barnes got his third start of the season for the Utes offense.

Barnes ran for 50 yards and threw for 128 yards along with a touchdown in the Utes win.

On the other side of the ball, the Utes' defense held California to just 4.6 yards per play and allowed a total of 66 rushing yards. They also forced two turnovers against the USC offense.

The defense hopes to stay this dominant when facing Heisman Trophy winner, Caleb Williams and the USC offense.

USC was handed their first loss of the season last week against Notre Dame. The Trojans were struggling against the Fighting Irish defense and lost 48-20.

Williams finished with 199 passing yards and one touchdown. He was sacked by the Irish defense six times and had three interceptions.

The Trojans offensive line will need to step up big in this matchup. They will need to protect Williams as best they are able against this hungry Utes defense.

The last time these two teams met each other was in December 2022 in the Pac-12 Championship. The Utes came away with a 47-24 victory over the Trojans.

Utah is currently on a three-game winning streak when matched up against their Pac-12 opponent. This Saturday will be a test for both nationally ranked teams to prove their worth for the upcoming cutthroat college playoffs.

In all of the historical matchups between these two teams, USC has the handle on the series with a lead of thirteen wins and nine losses. However, in the last 10 match-ups, Utah has shown its dominance.

Since October of 2014, the two have met 10 times with Utah taking six of those wins and USC having only four. USC has a great chance of winning on Saturday and breaking their losing streak against the Utes.

The biggest opportunity for the Trojans to capitalize on is Utah’s questionable quarterback situation. The Utes' starting quarterback Cam Rising has yet to start a game this season.

Rising tore multiple ligaments back in January against Penn State during the Rose Bowl and has not played in a game since. He has been the starting quarterback for the past three wins against the Trojans.

Rising has led the Utes to win back-to-back Pac-12 titles. The current title was won against USC last December when these teams last faced off.

A loss for the Utes this week would kill their chance of winning a third straight Pac-12 title. For the Trojans, another loss would continue their drop in national rankings. They would still have a chance to play for a Pac-12 title.

Hannah Valcourt is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email hav5095@psu.edu.