That stat can change in a major way this Saturday as the 19th-rated Huskers travel to Los Angeles to face the nos. 2 and 4 USC Trojans at the L.A. Memorial  Coliseum. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. central time, the game will be nationally televised by ABC.

The Huskers come into the game 2-0 after thrashing lowly Division 1-AA Nicholls State in Lincoln last Saturday. The Trojans were idle last Saturday, and did a little thrashing themselves in week 1, with a 50-14 victory over Arkansas on the road.

Both Nebraska and USC have had much success over the past decades. Both teams are no strangers to national championship games.

Of course, it has been awhile since the Tom Osborne-led Huskers routed Florida in the Fiesta Bowl back in 1996. And Husker fans shudder at the most recent Nebraska appearance in a national championship game, a 37-14 thrashing by Miami in 2002's Rose Bowl.

USC has appeared in the previous two national championship games. The Trojans won all the marbles in 2004, but lost to Texas in a thriller last season. In 2003, USC shared the national title with LSU.

So the Nebraska-USC game is a marquee match up in every sense of the word.

A Husker victory in L.A. would catapult Nebraska into the national scene in this early college football season. Even a close loss to the Trojans would be nothing too much to complain about.

A blowout loss would allow foaming-at-the-mouth Nebraska critics a chance to blow their horns again.

We're hoping for the previous.

Besides the nationally televised ABC broadcast,  you can listen to the game live on the Pinnacle Sports Radio Network on a number of Nebraska radio stations and a few others outside Nebraska. Sirius Satellite Radio will also have the game on channel 152, available nationwide.

GO BIG RED!

Husker-Trojan Notes:

ESPN will have live pre-game coverage from Los Angeles with "College Game Day" starting Saturday morning. It's a chance to get pumped for the big game and see how many cornheads can fit on a TV screen behind Lee Corso. Probably not that many!

09-13-06: A Bumper Crop Of Fans: Nebraska fans expected to swarm Coliseum to see 19th-rated Cornhuskers match up against No. 4 USC More from Los Angeles Times

09-13-06: NU Corner confidently predicts win over USC More from Omaha World-Herald

09-13-06: USC opener is big, but not because of NU More from Omaha World-Herald

09-13-06: Huskers not intimidated by no. 4 USC More from Grand Island Independent

09-13-06: Receivers pose challenge: Watch for NU blitz More from WOWT-TV Omaha (Video On Right Of Story)

09-13-06: Large Husker contingent expected in Los Angeles More from Omaha World-Herald

09-13-06: Huskers know they must pressure USC quarterback More from Lincoln Journal-Star

09-11-06: Callahan: Trojan D will be big test More from Lincoln Journal-Star


09-13-06: KETV-Omaha Big Red Zone: Nebraska vs. USC Stories & Video Previews

09-11-06: Husker Game Day Complete NU-USC Preview Coverage, Stats & More from Huskers.com

09-11-06: USC Trojans Football Complete USC-NU Preview Coverage from offical USC Football web site

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