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Top 10 storylines for Week 3 of the College Football season

8. Can Stanford throw cold water on USC (No. 6)?

Cody Kessler USC

Rivalry games are extremely unpredictable, so while it seems unlikely Stanford would be able to knock off USC at the Memorial Coliseum, nobody should discount the possibility of a huge upset.

Stanford entered the season ranked No. 21, and expectations were high for the program. The Cardinal were stunned in Week 1 by Northwestern, though, and quarterback Kevin Hogan was horrendous on the road, passing for just 155 yards on 35 attempts. He was held without a touchdown and threw one interception.

Hogan did bounce back against UCF, throwing three touchdowns, but his inaccuracy remains a problem (57.8 percent on the season).

On the other side of the field this Saturday is Cody Kessler, who has opened up his 2015 campaign on an absolute tear. Kessler has completed 78.9 percent of his passes for 650 yards (11.4 yards per attempt) with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Stanford’s defense must be practically perfect to shut down Kessler and his high-powered aerial assault.

The only chance the Cardinal appear to have of beating USC is if Christian McCaffrey and the running game can find a way to keep the chains moving, thus keeping Kessler off the field.

These two Pac-12 rivals will play during prime time, and the game can be viewed nationally on ABC starting at 8 p.m. ET.

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