Stanford @ Southern California preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 9, 2010 ) Southern California 35, Stanford 37

THE STORY: Stanford has been on a roll and the No. 3 Cardinal face their biggest challenge thus far when they visit Southern Cal. Stanford boasts the nation’s longest winning streak at 15 games and has won each of its past 10 contests by 25 or more points. The Cardinal, who routed Washington 65-21 last week, are off to their best start since going 9-0 in 1951. The Trojans have won three consecutive games and won at Notre Dame last week. USC is 4-0 at home this season, but Stanford has won in its last two visits to the Los Angeles Coliseum.

TV: ABC (regional), ESPN3.com. LINE: Stanford -7.5.

ABOUT USC (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12 South): Junior quarterback Matt Barkley and sophomore receiver Robert Woods seemingly play catch at will. Woods has 72 receptions for 902 yards through seven games and appears to be a shoo-in to break Keyshawn Johnson’s school-record 102 catches in 1995. Barkley has thrown for 2,006 yards and 19 touchdowns against only four interceptions. The Trojans rank 11th in rushing defense (91.1 yards per game) but only 104th in passing defense (265.1). Junior defensive end Nick Perry has a team-leading four sacks. Sophomore running back Dillon Baxter, the school’s top recruit two seasons ago, left the program earlier this week.

ABOUT STANFORD (7-0, 5-0 Pac-12 North): So much for the offense being all Andrew Luck - the Cardinal set a school-record with 446 rushing yards in the rout of Washington as Luck threw for a season-low 169 yards. The probable No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL draft is having a fantastic season with 20 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Luck has completed 71.8 percent of his passes and Stanford ranks second in scoring offense at 48.6 points per game. Junior running back Stepfan Taylor has a team-best 697 rushing yards. Defensively, Stanford ranks fourth in scoring defense at 12.6 points per game and third in rushing defense (75.6). The Cardinal have 25 sacks, including a team-leading 5.5 from senior linebacker Chase Thomas.

EXTRA POINTS:

1. USC leads the series 59-27-3. Stanford won last year 37-35 on a last-second field goal.

2. Stanford has allowed two sacks, lowest in the nation.

3. Barkley passed for 390 yards against Stanford last season with Woods catching 12 passes for 224 yards.

PREDICTION: Stanford 30, USC 27 - Stanford proves to have just a tad more Luck by outlasting Barkley and the Trojans in an epic nationally televised showdown.