Pac-12 Football 2017: 5 teams on upset alert in Week 6

Nearly a decade ago, Oregon State came to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and stunned the Trojans 27-21 on the road. USC, though, has historically had the Beavers’ number when the two teams meet. That sort of record of dominance, though, can be costly when a team gets too comfortable in thinking victory is inevitable.

The Trojans are 60-9-4 all times against Oregon State. Three of those nine defeats, it must be noted, have all come since 2006. While USC has traditionally owned the Beavers, Gary Andersen’s has some history to give them hope. The most shocking of the trio came in 2008, when the Beavers took down the top-ranked Trojans in Corvallis.

Even after their stumble against Washington State last week, USC remains among the top teams in the nation. At this time last year, the Trojans were still struggling with the Max Browne/Sam Darnold debate at quarterback. As they enter October this season, Darnold is firmly entrenched as the starter and Browne is struggling at Pitt. But things have continued to be uneven on the road to 4-1.

If Clay Helton’s team continues to commit ridiculous penalties and Darnold continues to throw interceptions, they will be ripe for another upset. After losing to the Cougars, USC should be on high alert for the chance of a second-straight stumble on their return home to face the Beavers.