Reporter Roundtable: Picks, predictions and perspective for USC-Washington

SEATTLE -- It's easy to see this USC-Washington showdown Saturday shaping the seasons of both programs -- one way or the other.

For No. 21 USC (3-1), a second straight win over a ranked Pac-12 opponent would give coach Clay Helton all the momentum needed to take his name off the hot seat for a bit, while also positioning the Trojans in full control of their path to the conference championship game.

A loss, meanwhile, would snap USC's latest attempt at creating momentum and keep the chatter about Helton's future going through the bye week and into a tough road trip at Notre Dame thereafter.

For No. 17 Washington (3-1), which already has one conference loss to Cal, the Huskies have slim margin for error if they want to create their own path to the Pac-12 title game.

To look at this matchup objectively, the advantages would sure seem to be with Washington, which is a 10.5-point favorite and will be putting productive QB Jacob Eason up against a depleted young Trojans secondary missing both its best safety (Talanoa Hufanga) and its best corner (Olaijah Griffin).

The Trojans are also starting third-string QB Matt Fink, who needs to prove he can replicate the magic he had last week in a 30-23 win over then-No. 10 Utah, when he passed for 351 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception.

The TrojanSports.com staff weighs in with its thoughts on the key storylines this week, as well as a prediction for Saturday.

PODCAST: USC analyst Max Browne breaks down the Trojans' matchup with Washington

1. Which injured starter's absence is most concerning for USC this week?

Ryan Young: Not having both Talanoa Hufanga and Olaijah Griffin concerns me greatly for the Trojans. I wouldn't minimize the impact of either. But I have to go with quarterback Kedon Slovis. The Matt Fink story was awesome last week. It was one of those moments that make college football so special. But I remain skeptical that he can consistently perform like that -- especially on the road. I fully realize Slovis threw three interceptions in his only road start, but I still think he's on a different tier as a passer and that on most Saturdays he would give USC its best chance to win. That said, Fink has exceeded my expectations once -- maybe he can do it again and really prove himself in the role.

Tajwar Khandaker: "I’m going to stick with the simple answer here and say Kedon Slovis. Productive as Matt Fink was last week, I think it’s safe to say that he won’t be able to take chances like he did against Utah this week and get away with them. UW will make sure that the deep ball is well protected against and force the Trojans to try to pick them apart underneath in the passing game. That’s Slovis' bread and butter -- making quick and intelligent reads through his progressions. His absence makes this offense far more one-dimensional than it needs to be for this matchup.

2. What do you expect from Matt Fink in his encore performance?

Ryan: I'll say this for Fink -- I don't think he'll be overwhelmed by the moment. I've been saying it all week, he has an unmistakable confidence to him and as an older player who has waited so long for this opportunity I'm sure he'll be as prepared and locked in as can be. I just don't think what he did last week is replicable -- or I should say, the way he did it last week. Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell joked that if he was still at North Texas, he would have thought several of Fink's throws were bad decisions. But because Michael Pittman was on the receiving end and is a matchup nightmare for any DB, they worked out just fine. I think Fink is going to stay aggressive and take more (too many) chances. I expect a couple of turnovers. The question is will he hit on enough big plays to offset them? That's what I see it coming down to, but I'm willing to be wrong again.

Tajwar: Although in theory I believe that the Trojans should ease the load on Fink and focus on grinding the ball on the ground, what we’ve seen of Graham Harrell’s aggressiveness makes it hard for me to believe that’ll be the case. If the ball is in his hands as much as it was last week, I think Fink can put up solid yardage numbers but will be due for multiple turnovers. The first-time starter threw a pick last week and came very close to throwing at least 3 more. There’s no way UW’s talented secondary won’t make good on opportunities like that. My predicted stat line for Fink would be 230 yards to go with 2 TDs and 2 picks.

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