Column: USC, UCLA among most intriguing college football games, all at revered stadiums

It so happens that five of Saturday’s most intriguing match-ups take place at five of college football’s most hallowed stadiums:

Coliseum, Los Angeles

Stanford at USC could be a pivot point in the careers of Steve Sarkisian and Pat Haden. Sarkisian is the coach, Haden the athletic director, and their futures, legacies and retirement plans are tied at the hip.

A month ago, you wondered how USC could win this game. Now you wonder how the Trojans could lose it. USC shook off the maelstrom of August to deliver two crushing blows to butterball Sun Belt Conference opponents.

The Trojans have advanced to No. 6 in the polls and appear deep, poised and athletically loaded. They have leadership where you need it most in fifth-year senior quarterback Cody Kessler, while the two blowouts allowed Sarkisian to hold playing-time tryouts for his vaunted 2015 recruiting class.

Stanford is a riddle rapped in an enigma tied with conservative cloth ribbon. Coach David Shaw’s squad has been one of the bigger early-season disappointments.

The Cardinal dropped out of the top 25 after a sleepy, sluggish loss at unranked Northwestern, then took a half to get halfway interested in Central Florida.

Stanford’s never-yielding philosophy is to bore paying customers while keeping every game close into the fourth quarter in the hope of winning a 13-10 outcome. Last year against USC, it had the 10 in 13-10.

A 3-0 start would push the Trojans toward a seemingly-winnable game next week at Arizona State, another over-hyped team.

Program panic meter: A 4-0 start for USC quiets even the loudest Sarkisian-Haden critics. A 3-1 start is OK provided the Trojans win every other game. A 2-2 start produces a revolt.

Rose Bowl, Pasadena

Brigham Young at UCLA was already going to be chippy before UCLA Coach Jim Mora noted that his true freshman quarterback, Josh Rosen, was four years younger than BYU’s true freshman, Tanner Mangum. The use of a 22-year-old freshman is a sensitive subject in Provo, Utah. Many followers recoil from the notion that sending players on Latter Day Saints missions, before they start their NCAA eligibility clocks, somehow constitutes a competitive advantage.

BYU has also accumulated a YouTube highlight reel of what some might call cheap shots, the latest a low blow from last week’s game against Boise State.

A win for UCLA solidifies it as serious national playoff contender as it enters Pac-12 Conference play next week at Arizona. A BYU win makes the Cougars 3-0 as they try to make their case for legitimacy as a football independent not named Notre Dame.

Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Ind.

Georgia Tech is Notre Dame’s worst nightmare opponent after already losing five players to season-ending injuries. Georgia Tech Coach Paul Johnson’s triple-option offense requires linemen to use the legal, but sometimes treacherous, technique of cut blocking. Insurance is suggested for all body parts located from the knees on down.

The last thing Notre Dame needs is another injury to a front-line player. Last year, linebacker Joe Schmidt suffered a season-ending broken ankle against Navy, which runs a similar offense. Schmidt has since recovered and will be in the lineup Saturday.

“I would never put it on a scheme or a player,” he said this week of last year’s injury. “It wasn’t malicious.”

Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Mississippi plays at Alabama in a game that could end up deciding the Southeastern Conference West. Mississippi upset Alabama last year in Oxford and has scored 149 points in its first two games.

“If you ask me if we are ready for SEC play, I really don’t know,” Mississippi Coach Hugh Freeze said.

It won’t help that Freeze is likely to face Alabama without standout left tackle, Laremy Tunsil, who is being held out while the NCAA investigates a possible violation.

Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, La.

Auburn travels to Louisiana State in another huge SEC West stare down — this one to be played in front of 102,321 patrons in face paint.

Auburn suffered a near-death experience at home last week against Jacksonville State and will have to recover quickly if it wants to stay in playoff contention. The Tigers win over Louisville doesn’t look as good now that Louisville is 0-3.

LSU slugged out a 21-19 win last week at Mississippi State in a game in which quarterback Brandon Harris completed nine passes for 71 yards.

chris.dufresne@latimes.com