PALO ALTO - USC will defeat Stanford today, if history is a guide.
This is the fifth time the Trojans enter today's game with a three-game losing streak to the Cardinal. And USC snapped the previous four losing streaks with a victory here over Stanford.
That should be a good sign for the No. 2-ranked Trojans when they meet the No. 21-ranked Cardinal at Stanford Stadium.
There might not be anything better to cling to entering the Pacific-12 Conference opener. A high-ranking athletic department official already wondered after just two games if USC (2-0) is as good as advertised even with a perfect start so far.
"Are we going to win the national championship?" the official said. "We didn't look like it last week."
The Trojans' 42-29 victory over Syracuse provided some consternation because of the way the defense struggled in the second half and the way the offense struggled in the first.
"We didn't look like the No. 2 team in the nation," the official said.
No one expects perfection this early in the season and USC coach Lane Kiffin said he did not care as long as he wins. That makes today's game significant.
The Cardinal (2-0) might no longer feature quarterback Andrew Luck and barely beat San Jose State two weeks ago, 20-17. But Stanford still is a respected football program and a solid victory here earns national recognition for the Trojans, not to mention boosting their bid for that national title
game."Jim (Harbaugh) came in, and I thought brought a tough, aggressive style to what they were doing in all three phases of the game," Kiffin said. "Then it's been carried on. They've done a really good job."
Stanford offers a pro-style offense and none of the tricky spread plays so popular in the Pac-12. But the more traditional approach is not necessarily easier to stop as the past three years demonstrated.
Cardinal tailback Stepfan Taylor has gained 185 yards. USC's No. 2 rusher is wide receiver Robert Woods, thanks to his 76-yard run against Syracuse last weekend. Starting tailback Curtis McNeal's gained only 73 yards in two games while Silas Redd's gained 163.
Stanford appears to be challenging USC for the title of Tailback U. Second-year coach David Shaw has picked up where Harbaugh left off in terms of physical football.
The Cardinal are even holding their own in offensive line recruiting, taking offensive tackles Kyle Murphy and Andrus Peat last February. Both players strongly considered the Trojans.
Perhaps that is why USC created a PowerPoint presentation for recruits that showed how no Stanford offensive linemen were drafted by NFL teams between 2006-11. This could be viewed as negative recruiting, which Kiffin claimed during training camp he does not engage in at USC.
But perhaps that stat is a sign of the respect Stanford's gained recently. That will grow considerably if the Cardinal, 8.5-point underdogs, pull off an upset. But USC players are determined not to lose a fourth straight time.
"You never want to end a career knowing that you didn't beat a team," USC safety T.J. McDonald said.
scott.wolf@dailynews.com
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