USC (3-3, 1-2) vs. STANFORD (4-2, 4-0)

Time: 12:30 p.m.

* Site: Coliseum.

* TV: Channel 7.

* Radio: XTRA (690).

* The offenses: Stanford’s high-powered offense was held to 21 points last week by Oregon State, but the Cardinal has two 50-point games this season--against Arizona and Washington State. Quarterback Todd Husak has one of the best receiving tandems in college football in Troy Walters and DeRonnie Pitts. Walters, a 5-foot-8 senior, already holds the Pac-10 career record for receiving yardage and is 10 catches from setting the reception mark. He ranks second in the nation with 139.8 yards receiving a game, and fourth in all-purpose yardage at 184.8. A running game that averaged only about 75 yards a game last season is considerably more respectable this year at 163 yards. The running game is an issue for USC too, although the Trojans’ showed progress with Chad Morton’s high-energy performance in the first half against Notre Dame.

* The defenses: There are two reasons the Rose Bowl race still is considered wide open, despite Stanford’s 4-0 record. One is the Cardinal’s loss to San Jose State, and the other is a defense that ranks last in the conference, giving up 33 points and 454 yards a game. Stanford particularly struggles against the pass, ranking 104th in the nation in pass-efficiency defense--a deficiency USC’s talented trio of R. Jay Soward, Windrell Hayes and Kareem Kelly should be able to take advantage of. USC’s defense is the strength of the team, but it faltered in the second half against Arizona and Notre Dame and is better against the run than the pass, Stanford’s strong point.

* Key to the game: USC shouldn’t have too much trouble scoring on Stanford, but the Trojan defense needs to do a better job on Walters and Pitts than it did on the Pac-10’s other premier receiver, Arizona’s Dennis Northcutt, who caught eight passes for 121 yards.

* Fast fact: Stanford has never reached the Rose Bowl in a season in which it lost to USC.

* Line: USC by 7 1/2.

HOW THEY COMPARE

USC STANFORD

33.5 Scoring 37.2 24.3 Points allowed 33.5 264.3 Passing offense 323.3 111.5 Rushing offense 163.3 375.8 Total offense 486.7 247.2 Passing defense 329.3 126.7 Rushing defense 125.0 373.8 Total defense 454.3