USC Trojans vs. Cal Golden Bears: Which Team Needs a Win More?

Tonight’s Pac-12 showdown between the USC Trojans and the Cal Golden Bears at AT&T Park will be a battle between two teams that have yet to truly prove themselves this season.

The Trojans come into the game with a 4-1 record, but they’re resume isn’t exactly what you would consider strong.

Lane Kiffin’s team has racked up wins over mediocre opponents like Syracuse, Minnesota, Utah and Arizona, but they got throttled by the only ranked team they’ve played so far when Arizona State put a 43-22 hurting on them out in the desert in Week 4.

Cal, on the other hand, comes into this one reeling after getting manhandled in the second half of a blowout loss to Oregon last week.

This will be Cal’s second Thursday night game in a row, but the Golden Bears should have a much better shot tonight, playing this one closer to home.

It's hard to say that this is a must-win game for either team, but there is definitely some motivation on both sidelines.

Cal coach Jeff Tedford has started to hear some grumblings from fans, as the team’s performance has waned in recent years and some have even put him on the mythical college football coaching hot seat.

Last year’s 5-7 campaign certainly didn't help matters.

Now that the team is 3-2, it seems like this could be a turning point in the season.

With this being Cal’s homecoming game, Tedford has a chance to really make a statement to the fan base and the alumni that he has this team moving in the right direction.

Since USC can’t make it to the Pac-12 championship or a bowl game this season, the Trojans are pretty much playing for pride this year, but that doesn’t mean that their performance doesn’t matter.

USC has plenty of pro prospects on its roster this year and high-profile players like QB Matt Barkley, OT Matt Kalil and S T.J. McDonald will be looking to impress scouts in tonight’s nationally televised game.

While this matchup doesn’t really have any implications as far as the race to the Pac-12 championship game goes, you can expect both teams to go out there and play hard and try to renew a rivalry that has been on the decline since its peak in the mid-2000's.