USC at Oregon the biggest show in college football in Week 13

Duck fans remember 2012, and Trojan fans should. Oregon doesn't want that type of game again, but they do want to establish that kind of dominance.

It's a big weekend for the Ducks and Trojans, easily the best show in college football in Week 13 with the SEC playing body-bag opponents like Samford, Eastern Illinois, Mercer and Charlotte two weeks before the College Football Playoff final selection show, though No. 22 Missouri plays at No. 8 Oklahoma and Florida hosts Tennessee.

The conference where it just means more can't have both ways. All season long they talk about "the gauntlet" and how many ranked teams they've beaten and then as the playoffs approach they schedule a Tomato Can to protect those rankings, guaranteeing the league eight extra wins and turning every 7-5 team into an 8-4 team to preserve the illusion of how "deep" it is.

In truth, there's not much difference between Vanderbilt, Florida and Kentucky and unranked Big Ten teams like Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska, except the Midwest teams play an extra road game and don't have a little number next to their name. Yes, the SEC dominated for many years when they had bag men running the show, but now everybody pays players and augments their roster in the Transfer Portal. The last two championships belong to the Big Ten.

Out west, the two biggest draws in the sport are squaring off in Eugene this weekend, No. 15 USC, 8-2 at No. 7 Oregon, 9-1, 12:30 p.m. PT on CBS. It's not a game for the superstitious as four of Dan Lanning's seven losses have been 12:30 starts.

That's a case of small sample size-- Coach doesn't lose very often, and many of the toughest, closest matchups are scheduled for daytime kicks. He's meticulous by nature, just as prepared in the middle of the day as he would be at any hour.

Trojans, Ducks a ratings bonanza for CBS

It's certain to be a big draw on television as six of the eight top games in West Coast college football have involved these two teams, drawing audiences of four million or more according to Super West Sports:

Add two high-powered offenses and a lack of star attractions around the country (Eastern Illinois at Alabama? Nobody wants to watch that.) and you have a recipe for boffo box office. Six million viewers or more will be tuned in to Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and Jenny Dell, live from the House of Loud.

Ra'Shaad Samples ought to show his backs two hours of KB running wild

In freshman Jordon Davison, the Ducks have a back who is a throwback to LeGarrette Blount, Trent Richardson or Mark Ingram, the big, physical ball carrier who can bust through tackles and always seems to fall forward. He's 6-0, 236, a bruiser with great vision who's toted the rock for 461 yards on 66 carries, 6.98 yards per carry with 12 touchdowns.

That's impressive, but Oregon has two more backs in Noah Whittington and Dierre Hill who rank No. 4 and No. 7 in yards per carry at 8.7 and 8.2 yards a pop. They're a blend of speed, vision and efficiency that recalls another all-time Duck great, Kenjon Barner, who left a permanent mark on this rivalry with a show-stopping performance in 2012, 321 yards and five touchdowns.

The Trojan defense is vulnerable to the run, and the run sets up the play-action pass. While there's a lot of ways a showdown like this could go, the most likely possibility is that Oregon controls the pace and wears the visitors down with a physical edge and focus.

Nineteen hours before gametime the line has jumped back up to Ducks -10.5 and an over/under of 59.5. The sharps nail these outcomes often enough that an average working Joe should never bet against them for amounts larger than amusement purposes only.

Prediction: Oregon 35, USC 24.