For further perspective ahead of No. 7 USC's much-anticipated matchup with fellow unbeaten Oregon State on Saturday night in Corvallis, Ore., we turn it over to Beavers Edge publisher Brenden Slaughter.

He answered five questions for us about Oregon State, the factors behind its strong start this season and, of course, his prediction for the game.

What has been the biggest key to Oregon State's 3-0 start?

Slaughter: "Experience, growth and maturity within Jonathan Smith's program. ... Simply put, after years of building, learning experiences and growing pains, the Beavers are in a position to compete at a much higher level than we've seen in the past. They've steadily built up a solid collection of talent and have one of the more underrated staffs in the country that's been together for several seasons now. We saw flashes of great play in last season's 7-6 campaign, but it still left something to be desired as far as having some slip-ups. This year, that hasn't been the case. Case in point with the Fresno State game, that's likely a game that the Beavers would have lost in years past, but this year, their experience, talent and belief in the system on both sides is allowing them to play at a high level. Confidence is sky high and that's a big reason why we've seen them jump out to a great start."