This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Pac-12 championship football game hardly feels like a rematch, because Stanford and USC met so early in the regular season. This certainly is not like 2012, when Stanford and UCLA played in consecutive weeks – especially considering USC had a different coach for that Sept. 19 game, a 41-31 Stanford victory in Los Angeles. What's weird is that outcome seemed like an upset at the time, with Stanford only two weeks removed from a season-opening loss at Northwestern. So the Cardinal have kept improving and the Trojans have endured some ups and downs, but that previous meeting still suggests a good contest is in store Saturday (5:45 p.m. MST, Fox) at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. It should be another great duel between quarterbacks Kevin Hogan of Stanford and Cody Kessler of USC. Hogan enjoyed a breakthrough performance in September, completing 18 of 23 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns. Kessler was comparable, going 25 of 32 for 272 yards and three scores. Thanks mostly to Christan McCaffrey, Stanford had a 195-155 edge in rushing yards. The variable is how USC responds to the promotion of Clay Helton from interim coach to the permanent position, as USC athletic director Pat Haden announced Monday. It will be an interesting night in college football, with other conference championship games being played at about the same time, and the possibility of Stanford sneaking into the College Football Playoff. USC is the fourth different representative of the South in the five-year history of the Pac-12 title game, leaving out Utah and Colorado. Stanford and Oregon have shared the North's berths, with each team going 2-0. The North's reign will end, in high-scoring style: USC 35, Stanford 31. – Kurt Kragthorpe