Saturday’s Oregon-USC game is a must-win for Oregon

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No. 20 Oregon has a major test on tap this Saturday against No. 12 USC.

Oregon is 2-1 to start the season, with its only loss coming in Week 2 against Oklahoma State. Meanwhile, USC is 4-0 and recently beat Rutgers 42-35 last Saturday.

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Lincoln Riley has his team humming going into this game.

Why Oregon has to win this game

Simply put, Oregon has little wiggle room after losing to Oklahoma State earlier in the season. A second loss could be nearly fatal for their Big Ten title and College Football Playoff chances, since the program still has to travel to No. 7 Ohio State and host No. 18 Michigan later in the season.

The Ducks will need all three units to step up significantly if they want to win this game. It’s also a rivalry game, which adds extra significance. A win would get the fans off Oregon head coach Dan Lanning’s back since the program is off to a shaky start.

Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge will have the call.

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