[msqueri]

On USC being the highest ranked team we'll face, that is very much speculative and uncertain. Sagarin, which I don't trust yet because there hasn't been enough data, thinks Utah is better and Oregon and Notre Dame are essentially USC's level. I am sure the results of the season will shuffle things around, and it's not at all clear yet that USC will end up the top team on our schedule.

Regardless, we played USC at home. Oregon, Notre Dame, and Utah are harder games on paper. Based on computer rankings/home field adjustment/Vegas lines, it is quite possible Washington will be too. Right now Sagarin would have Washington as a 12.5 point favorite against us, significantly bigger than the line for the USC game.

Being at home in the second week of the season after a coaching change for USC and with our history of beating USC at home over the last decade and a half, the USC game was actually a relatively gettable game for us. We're going to have several games where we're bigger underdogs.

[msqueri]

On USC being the highest ranked team we'll face, that is very much speculative and uncertain. Sagarin, which I don't trust yet because there hasn't been enough data, thinks Utah is better and Oregon and Notre Dame are essentially USC's level. I am sure the results of the season will shuffle things around, and it's not at all clear yet that USC will end up the top team on our schedule.

Regardless, we played USC at home. Oregon, Notre Dame, and Utah are harder games on paper. Based on computer rankings/home field adjustment/Vegas lines, it is quite possible Washington will be too. Right now Sagarin would have Washington as a 12.5 point favorite against us, significantly bigger than the line for the USC game.

Being at home in the second week of the season after a coaching change for USC and with our history of beating USC at home over the last decade and a half, the USC game was actually a relatively gettable game for us. We're going to have several games where we're bigger underdogs.