USC heads into Corvallis on Saturday night for a contest that figures to be one of the best of the season in the Pac-12.

The Trojans are off to a 3-0 start and ranked seventh in the AP Top 25. With all due respect to Stanford, the 3-0 Oregon State Beavers look like they’ll be able to provide USC with its first real test of the 2022 season. The Trojans jumped all over Stanford early, and though a 41-28 final scoreline might signal a close game occurred, USC cruised to the win.

Oregon State should be able to make USC earn it.

Fittingly, the theme for this week’s game trailer from USC is “strain.” Check it out below.

Oregon State won last year in Los Angeles, 45-27. It was the Beavers’ first win over USC since 2010. This year’s Trojan squad is a little different.

USC has very real College Football Playoff ambitions. Led by quarterback Caleb Williams, the offense is off to a hot start. But this game might be decided by what happens on the other side of the football.

Oregon State possesses one of the better offensive lines the Trojans will see all season. And USC hasn’t exactly been resolute in its run defense to open the year. The Beavers have only allowed two sacks in three games, and they have a physical ground game that will look to take it right at the Trojans. USC ranks 106th nationally in run defense (4.8 yards per carry allowed). The defense has been all or nothing, yielding yards but taking the football away before surrendering points.

We’ll see which side can come out on top when they square off at 6:30 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Network.