Bleacher Report predicts a close loss to USC this weekend for Stanford

The predictions for Stanford's matchup against USC are starting to roll in

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Stanford has arguably one of their biggest games on the season this Saturday, when they host No. 10 USC.

The matchup is one that despite Stanford being unranked, a lot of people around college football have their eye on. For starters, Stanford has won five out of the last eight meetings, and their win over the Trojans last season was the nail in the coffin for Clay Helton. The Cardinal have also been very successful against USC at home as of late, winning the last two meetings. 

Even though USC is coming off a huge win against Rice in which their offense looked as explosive as ever, this game is still expected to be closely contested. The oddsmakers only view USC as a nine point favorite, and Bleacher Report who released their predictions for Week 2 think it will be even closer.  

They picked the Trojans to win by a score of 28-26, but did credit Stanford as being USC's first real test of the season saying:

This one should be a measuring stick for just how good the Lincoln Riley-led USC Trojans really are. After defeating Rice 66-14 in Week 1, the Trojans go on the road to face Stanford, a team that's given USC trouble in recent years.

They continued saying:

We'll see how Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams can handle his first big start on the road. Last week he threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns while adding another 68 yards on the ground. Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee had an even stronger outing Week 1 against Colgate, missing on just five of his passes and finishing with 308 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception.This game should tell us whether USC is a legitimate playoff threat. After the Week 1 losses from Oregon and Utah, the Trojans might be the conference's best hope for a playoff team.

While most people are focused on USC and how they will do, a win here for Stanford would be huge. The veteran team is looking to utilize their experience to win big games like this, which David Shaw did at one point liken the team to a tiger in the grass.

Maybe Week 2 against No. 10 USC is when the "tiger" decides to pounce for the first time.