The USC Trojans visit Arizona State on Saturday in what could effectively be the game to decide the Pac-12 South Division championship.

But even if they win the division, the Trojans can't play in the inaugural league title game because of NCAA sanctions — though coach Lane Kiffin said that doesn't matter.

"None of that means anything," he said. "It's all about getting better every week."

The Trojans looked pretty good beating Syracuse last week and could do Utah a favor by beating the Sun Devils and giving the Utes a chance to finish second in the division and qualify for the inaugural title game. The key for the Utes would be beating ASU at home on Oct. 8 and staying ahead of others in the rest of the conference schedule.

The Sun Devils, meanwhile, are trying to get over a close loss at Illinois marred by penalties and turnovers, as well as the loss of defensive end Junior Onyeali to a knee injury that could end his season.

The Trojans "have a lot of weapons," coach Dennis Erickson said. "They're very, very talented, there's no question about it. … I don't see much difference between USC this year and USC the other four years we played them."

Rare company

Only six teams in the country have started 3-0 with at least two of their wins over teams from BCS conferences — and two of them are in the Pac-12.

Stanford has beaten San Jose State, Duke and Arizona by a combined 138-27, while USC has beaten Minnesota, Utah and Syracuse. The other teams to accomplish the feat are North Carolina, Iowa State, Vanderbilt and LSU.

Measuring the north

Oregon or Stanford? Stanford or Oregon?

The question of which team is better in the Pac-12 North won't be decided until the powerhouses meet Nov. 12, in a rematch of Stanford's only loss last season. But we'll get to compare them against a common opponent for the first time when the Ducks play at Arizona on Saturday, a week after Stanford surged to a 37-10 victory.

"Execution is the key to any great offense," Arizona coach Mike Stoops said. "A lot of people have great offenses and good ideas, but it gets down to execution, understanding defensive weakness, how to manipulate personnel to get what you want, and that's where these teams excel."

Indeed, while the Ducks average 50.7 points and 261 rushing yards behind running back LaMichael James, the Cardinal score 46 points per game with quarterback Andrew Luck and hold opponents to just 36 run yards per game — second in the nation.

That's bad news for a Wildcat team that ranks 116th nationally in rushing and has lost seven straight games against FBS opponents.

Injury news

Inside linebacker Shayne Skov — the heart and soul of the punishing Stanford defense — will miss the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury against Arizona.

Coach David Shaw said junior Jarek Lancaster and redshirt freshman A.J. Tarpley will replace Skov, and that while losing his star player is tough, the Cardinal will survive.

"We've got some other good players," Shaw said.

Meanwhile, the Oregon State Beavers are still waiting to decide whether receiver James Rodgers will be able to finally return from a knee injury, but don't expect running back Malcolm Agnew back from a hamstring injury against UCLA on Saturday.

Quarterback Jeff Tuel of Washington State was expected to start throwing again Tuesday for the first time since hurting his shoulder in the season opener.

Tough combination

The Colorado Buffaloes will try again to snap their 18-game road losing streak on Saturday, this time against the Ohio State Buckeyes, who fell out of the AP Top 25 this week for the first time in seven years.

The Buckeyes' record at home since 2002? Only 54-5 — though the oddsmakers have them as modest 15-point favorites.

Top performers

• Quarterback Matt Barkley threw a school-record five touchdown passes for the third time in his career for USC, going 26 for 39 for 324 yards in a 38-17 victory over Syracuse.

• Running back Chris Polk eclipsed 100 yards rushing for the fifth straight game, gaining 130 on 22 carries for Washington in its 51-38 loss at Nebraska.

• Defensive end Trevor Reilly, a converted linebacker, forced three fumbles, recovered one of them, and made two sacks and three tackles for loss for Utah in its 54-10 victory at BYU.

• Running back Stepfan Taylor ran for 153 yards on 22 carries for Stanford in its 37-10 victory at Arizona, giving the Cardinal their 11th win in a row.