Sitting pretty at No. 4 in the last College Football Playoff rankings, all that’s left for USC to do in order to punch its ticket to the party is to defeat the same Utah squad that stunned the Trojans in a 43-42 thriller at Rice-Eccles Stadium back in mid-October.

The Trojans' brilliant first season under the direction of Lincoln Riley now comes to the most poetic of crossroads, a chance to secure the program's first ever playoff berth (since the format was established in 2014) against the only team to have toppled them all year.

That game was a high-scoring shootout of maximum intensity, but it’s unclear if we should expect a similar repeat the second time around. Personnel development, schematic shifts and injuries have brought both teams a long way from who they were in Week 7, and their shared familiarity will no doubt lead to an altered gameplan from both coaching staffs.

The Utes will also lack the home field advantage they enjoyed the first time around, with the rematch taking place at neutral Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The stakes for both teams are clear. For USC: win and it's in the playoff. For Utah: win and it's in the Rose Bowl.

Let's take a fresh look at the matchup leading up to kickoff Friday at 5 p.m. PT on FOX.

Coach: Kyle Whittingham (19th season, 153-73)

Record: 9-3

CFP Ranking: No. 11

Scoring Offense: 39.4 PPG (10th nationally)

Scoring Defense: 20.1 PPG (19th)

Total Offense: 467.7 YPG (20th)

Total Defense: 317.5 YPG (17th)

What the Utes do well:

Despite the departure from the ordinary in improving their passing prowess, the Utes have maintained their traditional competence in the ground game. Utah’s rushing attack has been highly productive this year, running the ball for 220 yards per game behind consistently impressive play from their offensive line unit. Leading rusher Tavion Thomas (687 yards and 7 TDs) has left the team to focus on preparing for the NFL, but the Utes have plenty left in the stable. Redshirt freshman Ja'Quinden Jackson had 117 yards and 3 TDs on 10 carries last week vs. Colorado, while Micah Bernard added 12 carries for 91 yards and a TD and Jaylon Glover rushed 13 times for 62 yards and a score.

Ordinarily, quarterback Cam Rising would be mentioned along with the rushing attack -- he had 11 carries for 60 yards and 3 TDs in the first meeting with USC -- but he injured his knee in that game. He missed a game and has only had more than 3 rushing attempts in a game once since then. He's also been inconsistent as a passer over the last month, throwing for just 151 yards (13 of 25) vs. Arizona and toss 3 interceptions in the Utes' loss to Oregon.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Utah secondary is worth pointing out as a unit of real menace. They’re headlined by top-flight cornerback Clark Phillips III, who’s been one of the very best corners in the nation and will likely hear his name called early in the NFL draft. Behind him, R.J. Hubert has done a fantastic job of managing one of the safety positions for the Utes, racking up 66 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and a defensive touchdown. As a whole, the Utah defense has been stingy. Since giving up 42 points and 556 yards to USC, the Utes have not allowed more than 21 points in any of the last five games while giving up an average of just 271.8 yards per game.