Pac 12 Championship Game 2015: Date, Start Time for Stanford vs. USC

Stanford (10-2, 8-1) played one of its best games in sending Notre Dame to a 38-36 defeat Saturday night, and now it's time for the North Division-winning Cardinal to play for the the Pac-12 championship.

They will get their opportunity to bring home the conference championship against a resurgent USC (8-4, 6-3) squad, winners of the South Division.

Date: Saturday, Dec. 5

Kickoff Time (ET):  7:45 p.m.

Location: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

TV: ABC/ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN.go.com

After beating UCLA in the regular-season finale, the Trojans have the kind of momentum that eluded them most of the season. 

The win was especially satisfying for the Trojans because it snapped a three-game losing streak against the Bruins. 

Quarterback Cody Kessler led the way to the victory with two TD passes and another TD run. The Trojans will be playing the Pac-12 title game for the first time.

"I lost it a little bit up there at the end," Kessler told reporters after the victory (h/t ESPN.com). "It's the way you want to go out. It was tough walking off that field for the last time, but that was the way I wanted to do it."

"

Cody Kessler says going to the Pac-12 title game is exciting but they don't want to overlook Stanford. He also credited Kevin Hogan's play.

— Reign of Troy (@ReignofTroy) November 29, 2015"

If the Trojans are going to beat the Cardinal, Kessler will have to be at his best. He has thrown for 3,128 yards and 27 touchdowns this season with just six interceptions.

Kessler will also rely on running back Justin Davis, who has rushed for 776 yards and two touchdowns this season. He has been especially hot lately, running for 271 yards in his last two games.

Sophomore JuJu Smith-Schuster is the best of USC's receivers. He has caught 74-1,302-10 this season, and the Cardinal will be hard-pressed to slow him down.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

The USC defense will be forced to contend with Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan, who has enjoyed an excellent season in throwing for 2,500 yards with 23 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.

Hogan was at his best against the Irish, completing 17 of 21 passes for 269 yards with four touchdowns. He led the last-second drive that allowed PK Conrad Ukropina to connect on the game-winning 45-yard field goal at the gun.

"It's the No. 1 moment of my career," Hogan told Fox Sports' Molly McGrath. "We have a big game next week against an excellent team and we just have to keep on stacking wins together."

"

Kick is good. Stanford wins. What a game. Playoff picture rather clear now, unless crazy stuff happens next week.

— Pat Forde (@YahooForde) November 29, 2015"

Stanford also relies heavily on running back Christian McCaffrey, who has had a remarkable season with 1,640 yards and seven touchdowns.