College Football Week 4 Game of the Week: Oregon at USC
by Zak Drapeau
Sportz Nation - 9/24/2026
Now that we're into Week 4 of the CFB season, conference play is really going to be kicking off and while there are a few huge games in the SEC and even ACC, the Game of the Week has to belong to the Big 10 Conference and Oregon at USC.
While the AP Poll has USC at 12 and Oregon at 20, I have them at 11 and 13 respectively ahead of their much anticipated B1G showdown in Los Angeles this Saturday.
With both teams having huge expectation coming into the season, both have somewhat disappointed with Oregon hugely disappointing after a very shaky 2-1 start and USC not looking as dominant as they "should" despite their 4-0 record.
Oregon was my #1 team coming into the season thanks to their roster being largely made up of All-American type players returning in droves from their 13-2 season last year. Expected to have a Top-3 Quarterback and one of the best defenses in the league, Oregon came out flat and almost lost the season opener against Boise State. Things would get much worse when they would lose to a very much improved Oklahoma State team in a game where they were thoroughly the worse team.
So what's Oregon's problem?
Well they seemingly got their mojo back last week by beating FCS team Portland State 84-0. Most of this has to do with the level of their competition sure, but through that it was noticeable that the offensive line was much better. There biggest problem in their first two games, Oregon's trenches needs to be Dan Lanning's priority moving forward after neither side of the line made much of an impact to start the season.
Oregon's defensive line was meant to be their calling card before the season with All-Americans Matayo Uiagalelei, A'Mauri Washington and Bear Alexander making up a brutal line against either the run or pass. They showed up against Boise State but were nowhere to be found against OK State. Same with their O-line, who gave up 4 sacks and 4 TFLs to the Cowboys.
Dante Moore has been very good despite the lack of emerging weapons for him to throw to so far. Moore hasn't turned the ball over yet this season and is completing 69% of his passes.
As for USC, they were a sleeper team this season and were picked highly as a Top-3 team in the B1G this season and even a Playoff team. On paper they've met expectations with a 4-0 start but once again, if you read between the lines you'll see some problems.
For the Trojans, it's been their defense. In their 4 games so far this season, they had a great win/shutout against Fresno State but have given up 91 points in their other 3 games against teams that really should not be scoring that much against a team like USC.
Putting it plainly, their Front-7 is being pushed around by opposing run games and they can't get to the Quarterback. Averaging 1 sack per game and allowing Running Backs to go for 29-139-2 in their 3 non-shutout games is showing some MAJOR problems with the Trojans front.
In order to beat the likes of Rutgers (0-3) and Louisiana, their offense needed to put up 40 points. Thankfully, their Quarterback Jayden Maiava has been slinging the ball and their run attack is averaging just under 5 yards per carry. The Trojans maybe showing a lot of reason to doubt them but almost none of them are coming from Lincoln Riley's favorite side of the ball.
So how will this play out on Saturday?
Well, I have to give the roster makeup advantage to the Ducks. Even though they haven't played like it yet, the Ducks literally have 5 NFL-ready players at major positions this year and MANY more future players on both sides of the ball. USC is a good team but probably only has 2 or 3 of these caliber of players.
Offensively is going to be very close, Dante Moore is the best player on the field if Maiava is having a better statistical season but I trust USC's run game and offensive line a lot more right now.
Defensively, even though they started the year off slow has to go to Oregon. USC's lack of pass rush really scares me for them and if given too much time, there's no way Dante Moore doesn't carve them up.
So there's my prediction, Oregon to win the game and I'll take the points as well, (Oregon -3 on DraftKings as of 9/24).
I think this game will be high scoring as well, with both Quarterbacks trading touchdowns early before Oregon separates themselves in the 2nd half. I know last weekend's game against Portland State was as easy as it's going to be for them this year, but I can't help thinking that domination after the humiliating loss made something snap in Eugene.
Other Games to Look Out For
1Texas at 14Tennessee
Oklahoma at 2Georgia
Illinois at 7Ohio State
4Ole Miss at 21Florida
South Carolina at 8Alabama
23Texas A&M at 10LSU
17Iowa at 18Michigan
15Utah at Iowa State
19Missouri at 24Mississippi State
Boise State at Western Michigan
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Make sure to stay tuned as we continue coverage of the 2026 College Football season. Updated Power Rankings every Monday and Games of the Week Previews every Thursday.
-Z.D.
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