Fansided

College Football Week 3: 5 teams on upset alert

By Connor Muldowney

Sep 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Gehrig Dieter (11) reacts after catching a touchdown pass during the second half against the USC Trojans at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Gehrig Dieter (11) reacts after catching a touchdown pass during the second half against the USC Trojans at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
September 2, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Ryan Burns (17) hands the football off to running back Christian McCaffrey (5) against the Kansas State Wildcats during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
September 2, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Ryan Burns (17) hands the football off to running back Christian McCaffrey (5) against the Kansas State Wildcats during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

USC has a rich history. The Trojans have made a living in Los Angeles for being a flashy program that can get results, but over the past decade or so, they haven’t had much luck against their in-state rival, Stanford.

Stanford is coming off a bye week which might help it in this case, but sometimes a week off after a nice win can halt any momentum.

Clay Helton is now at the helm for USC and that means an entirely new culture, which fans hope is a winning one, is in place. The Trojans got the season off to an incredibly disappointing start, losing to No. 1-ranked Alabama 52-6 in Dallas. The game was a measuring stick to see how far the then-No. 20 Trojans had to go to be a contender.

Turns out they’re extremely far away from playoff talks.

However, during a rivalry game, anything is possible. Stanford may have won 7-of-10 in the series, but the tides change often in this matchup. David Shaw’s team will be prepared for a dog-fight, but this USC team is much more talented than that 52-6 score to open the season suggests.

The Trojans might just shock the No. 7 Cardinal on Saturday much in the same way Stanford did to USC in 2007 under new head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Next: 3. Houston Cougars

Home/College Football