UNDATED (AP) — No. 7 Southern California faces one of its biggest tests of the season this weekend at No. 20 Utah. Lincoln Riley is the first USC coach to start his first season 6-0 since 1951, but the Utes have won 11 straight home games and have one of the Pac-12’s best defenses. Washington State also plays at Oregon State, while Stanford and Colorado look to end long losing streaks. The Cardinal have lost 11 straight games against FBS opponents heading into their game against Notre Dame and the Buffaloes have lost six straight as they get set to host California.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two seasons before Southern California and UCLA head to the Big Ten, college football is already big again in Los Angeles. The seventh-ranked Trojans and the 11th-ranked Bruins are both 6-0, and they haven’t gone unbeaten in the same season for this long since 2005. Both schools have the stars necessary to succeed in Hollywood, with two respected coaches and two standout quarterbacks. This is the culmination of both schools’ overall plans to fix their football teams, starting with improvement of their on-campus facilities and continuing with the hires of Chip Kelly and Lincoln Riley.
UNDATED (AP) — Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams is his own harshest critic. Evaluating his performance after going 6-0 to start his USC career, he responded that he’s played “all right.” His version of all right has the seventh-ranked Trojans off to their best start since 2006 as they head into a game at No. 20 Utah. A win over the Utes at raucous Rice-Eccles Stadium will put the Trojans in the driver’s seat in their bid to reach the Pac-12 title game. USC’s only remaining game against a ranked conference team will be at No. 11 UCLA on Nov. 19.
SEATTLE (AP) — Washington returns home looking to snap a two-game losing streak when it hosts Arizona. Washington is 4-0 in Seattle this season. Arizona is coming off a home loss to No. 12 Oregon and has alternated wins and losses through its first six games. Arizona has lost 12 straight Pac-12 road games since winning at Colorado in 2019. The Wildcats have not won in Seattle since 2007.
UNDATED (AP) — Washington State visits Oregon State on Saturday night in Corvallis. Both teams share identical 4-2 records at the halfway point of the season. The Cougars are coming off a 30-14 loss to No. 6 USC. The Beavers beat Stanford 28-27 in Palo Alto on Tre’Shaun Harrison’s 56-yard touchdown reception in the final moments. Washington State has won eight straight against the Beavers. But both teams are dealing with key injuries.
UNDATED (AP) — Notre Dame is looking for its fourth straight win under new coach Marcus Freeman as it hosts Stanford on Saturday. The Irish are coming off a win over No. 16 BYU. Stanford lost in heartbreaking fashion last weekend against Oregon State. Notre Dame has gotten a boost from tight end Michael Mayer with five touchdown grabs this season. The Irish are also doing a good job of rushing the quarterback and average 3.0 sacks per game.
UNDATED (AP) — Colorado will play its first game under interim coach Mike Sanford when California visits on Saturday. Sanford will try to turn things around after an 0-5 start led to the firing of Karl Dorrell. The Buffaloes are 0-5 for only the fourth time in their history. The Bears’ last win in Boulder was a 36-33 overtime victory in 2011.
UNDATED (AP) — UCLA’s resurgence earns coach Chip Kelly and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson midseason awards from The Associated Press. Under Kelly, the No. 11 Bruins are off to their best start since 2005 and have their highest ranking since reaching No. 7 in 2015. Thompson-Robinson is the top midseason offensive player after accounting for more than 1,700 yards and 19 touchdowns. Southern California’s Tuli Tuipulotu is the top defensive player so far this season, leading the nation with seven sacks and 12 1/2 tackles for loss per game.
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