USC-Cal Saturday
The Associated Press
From the Coliseum to Athens, the national championship race will take shape and Heisman Trophy contenders will emerge Saturday.
Six games will match ranked teams, with the biggest of the big games being played in California, Texas and Georgia.
No. 1 Southern California faces No. 7 California at the Los Angeles Coliseum; No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 5 Texas meet at the state fairgrounds in Dallas in the Red River Shootout; and No. 3 Georgia hosts No. 17 Tennessee between the hedges at Sanford Stadium in Athens.
USC-Cal doesn't have the history of Oklahoma-Texas and Georgia-Tennessee, but it is every bit as significant. The Trojans have won 13 straight since losing 34-31 at Cal last season. The loss cost USC an outright national title.
If the Golden Bears can make it two in a row over the Trojans, they'll validate themselves as national title contenders.
"There is a really fun buildup to this game," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "With what happened last year, it adds to it all. It brings more excitement."
While USC quarterback Matt Leinart has received most of the Heisman hype, Cal's Aaron Rodgers is the Pac-10's leading passer, averaging over 300 yards per game.
Texas is looking to avenge four-straight losses to the Sooners, which includes last season's 65-13 slaughtering.
"There's no number that we might have on Texas in the series," Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops said. "It's a year-to-year thing."
Heisman Trophy winner Jason White is off to another strong start for Oklahoma, ranking sixth in the nation in passing efficiency with 859 yards and nine touchdowns.
Texas tailback Cedric Benson leads the nation in rushing. He has said that given a choice between one or the other, he'd rather win the Heisman than beat the Sooners. He'll probably have to lead the Longhorns past the Sooners though to make a run at the Heisman.
Georgia also has a four-game winning streak in its series against Tennessee, including the last three under coach Mark Richt, who has turned the Bulldogs into the team to beat in the Southeastern Conference East.
The Volunteers are coming off a 34-10 loss to Auburn, but with a win over Florida already on their record, beating Georgia would put them in control of the SEC East race.