The Locals

No. 22 USC (3-1, 1-1)

vs. Arizona (3-2, 1-1)

* Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Arizona Stadium, Channel 7.

* Story line: One of the preseason favorites for the Rose Bowl will be down for the count after Saturday, because it’s considered a longshot for a team to win the Pacific 10 title with two losses. But in this wild season, who knows?

* USC update: The erratic Trojans have yet to shake their tendency to let up when the game seems won, and there is less and less room for that as the season goes on. USC’s offensive inconsistency is masked by a defense that has contributed a fifth of the team’s touchdowns, and the defense is bound to weaken if it continues to spend too much time on the field.

* Arizona update: The defensive disaster began with a 41-7 loss to Penn State that gave everyone a pretty big hint Arizona wasn’t up to its No. 4 preseason ranking, and continued with a stunning 50-22 loss to Stanford to open the Pac-10 season. The Wildcats ought to be 0-2 in the conference in the minds of many, having beaten Washington State, 30-24, only with the help of a controversial call on the last play of the game.

* Edge to USC: Arizona is at home and has had an extra week to prepare, but even the Trojans’ inconsistent running game ought to be able to run on the Wildcats.

* Line: Arizona by 1.