The USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins are preparing to square off against each other yet again. This time, the Trojans hold home field advantage in this cross-town rivalry affair.

USC, which just received a No. 10 ranking (AP), is coming off its biggest win of the season. The Trojans traveled north to Oregon and defeated the No. 4-ranked Ducks in Eugene by a score of 38-35.

“I think this was a defining game for us,” junior quarterback Matt Barkley tells the media. “We set ourselves apart on both sides of the ball.”

Barkley set himself apart from everyone in the Heisman trophy race. He is one of the prominent candidates this year.

“If you look at the way he's played in big games, and you don't vote based off sanctions and probations and dark clouds, I don't know how he’s not in New York," USC head coach Lane Kiffin tells the LA Times. “If anything, it should help him, that he’s had all this stuff around him, and he’s still succeeded.”

Barkley, who is considered one of the premier quarterbacks in the nation, collected 323 passing yards on 26 of 34 throwing attempts while netting four touchdowns. He was sacked once and threw for an interception, too.

“We expected to shock everybody except ourselves,” he says of the win.

The victory was an immense one for the Trojans, who cannot play in the postseason due to NCAA sanctions. Throughout the year, the coaching staff and the players, especially Barkley, have considered each game as their own respective Bowl game.

USC is a complete team. They have two stellar running backs in junior Curtis McNeal and senior Marc Tyler and two remarkable wide receivers in freshman Marqise Lee and sophomore Robert Woods.

McNeal leads the team in rushing yards with 881 on 133 carries in 11 games; he has scored five touchdowns, and his longest run was 79 yards. Tyler, on the other hand, has had solid games, but at an inconsistent basis. Rushing for 537 yards during nine games on 116 carries, Tyler has done well in the end zone with four TDs.

But where the Trojans have excelled the most this year has been with their receiving core, led by Woods and Lee. Woods leads the team with 1,179 receiving yards and 99 receptions. Also, he has penetrated the end zone various times in his 11 games played, scoring 13 touchdowns. Lee, on the other hand, is a newcomer but he is playing above par. In 11 games, he has made 60 catches for 919 yards and nine touchdowns. In some instances, he has led the team in receiving yards and catches in games where Woods had been shutdown by double coverage.

And the defense. USC’s defense has been very solid all season long. They definitely hold an edge over UCLA’s defense, which has been shaky at times.

On the other side of the ball, the Bruins are in the hunt for an appearance at the conference championship game at season’s end. It is the first time there will be such an event, and it could involve the Bruins, who are coming off an impressive 45-6 win over visiting Colorado at the Rose Bowl. If the Bruins want to see a light at the end of the tunnel, quarterback Kevin Prince and running back Johnathan Franklin must have great games in their respective positions.

With home field in their end, a roster stacked with talent on both ends of the ball and as a season finale, the Trojans will most likely win this affair. The only question is by how much will they come out victorious?

Kiffin feels like the game alone is motivation enough for the players to find energy.

“I don't think it will be hard at all knowing that here comes, to our kids, what is their biggest rivalry,” he says. “UCLA is playing great right now.”

USC (9-2 overall, 6-2 Pac-12) hosts UCLA on Saturday, Nov. 26, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at 7 p.m. The winner will hold bragging rights for another year.

The league’s southern representative in the inaugural Pac-12 championship is still up for grabs between Arizona State, Utah and UCLA.