With the prospect of a bowl game or a Pac-10 championship taken away from it before the season even began, USC’s football program has had to look elsewhere for motivation.

After a lackluster showing in early-season matchups against Hawaii, Virginia and Minnesota, and a loss at home to Washington, many wondered if the Trojans really even cared. A last-second loss at Stanford and a blowout of California, however, has shown that not only do the Trojans care, but they’re still a pretty darn good football team.

There was attrition at the school this offseason when the NCAA instituted a two-year bowl ban and a reduction in scholarships, but it’s still USC. It’s still the same team that has been bringing in top five recruiting classes year after year, and putting more five stars on the bench than many teams have seeing the field.

So now nobody’s thinking of the Trojans, as they cannot be a part of the title discussion themselves. They can severely alter the landscape today, though, and I’d imagine they’ll be real excited to try and take advantage of that opportunity.

No. 5 Michigan State at No. 18 Iowa, 3:30 p.m.: I can’t help but think Iowa is overrated. It lost at Arizona early in the year, and its supposedly stout defense had all sorts of problems with Tate Forcier and then gave up 31 to Wisconsin a week later. Now the Hawkeyes will have to deal with their toughest opponent yet in the Spartans, who are coming off a squeaker against Northwestern. It was the type of game Michigan State fans are used to seeing go the other way, so you’ll have to excuse them for being overly happy with it. But can Sparty pull out another one in Kinnick? Does Mark Dantonio have any more trick plays up his sleeve? I think the answers are yes and yes, but for whatever reason, I just don’t see it happening today. Pick: Iowa 27-24.

No. 6 Missouri at No. 14 Nebraska, 3:30 p.m.: It turns out, Missouri was even better than I thought it was. The win over Oklahoma is a huge step for Gary Pinkel and his program. The difference between a program capable of winning a big game and one capable of winning a national title, however, is bouncing back and winning another big game the next week. I’m not sure if Missouri is equipped to do that. Heck, I’m not sure many teams are equipped to get up for No. 1 at home one week then travel to Lincoln the next. Pick: Nebraska 24-20.

No. 1 Auburn at Mississippi, 6 p.m.: A look at Auburn’s schedule would suggest that it will be undefeated heading into the Iron Bowl on Thanksgiving weekend. This one, along with home dates with Chattanooga and Georgia precede the Tigers’ matchup with Alabama. But if you’ve been watching any ESPN this week, you’re aware of Houston Nutt’s ability to spring an upset over a highly-ranked team. He did it a few times at Arkansas, and will be looking to add another one to his belt today with Ole Miss. The problem is, I just don’t see Mississippi have the playmakers on the field to pull this off. And it certainly doesn’t have the playmakers on defense to stop Cam Newton. Pick: Auburn 34-24.

No. 25 Baylor at Texas, 7 p.m.: I read somewhere that to motivate his team this week, Mack Brown took a $20 bill, crumpled it up, spit on it and stomped on it. He then asked his team if the bill had changed at all. That science lesson was supposed to show the team that it’s still Texas, no matter the beating it has taken on the field or in the press. It’s an interesting analogy that Brown made, considering a $20 bill doesn’t have 25 new pieces to it every year. But, hey, maybe science is different in Texas. As for this week, he’s probably going to be proven to look like a genius. The Longhorns should be able to shut down Robert Griffin and Baylor. Pick: Texas 31-21.

No. 2 Oregon at USC, 8 p.m.: First of all, I and the rest of the Midwest would like to thank ABC/ESPN for giving us Ohio State at Minnesota on ABC and Michigan at Penn State on ESPN instead of arguably the game of the week. We really enjoy watching three crap-tastic Big Ten teams rather than a Pac-10 matchup that will go a long way toward deciding who the national champion is. So, thanks. As for the game we won’t be able to watch, logic would tell us that USC, although talented, doesn’t have the defense to hold Oregon under 60. I’d agree, if Oregon was more of a passing attack. USC still has good athletes on that side of the ball, and most of them are up front. I’m not saying they’re going to shut down Oregon, but I think this will be as tough a defensive matchup as Oregon has faced. Offensively, the Trojans can score with anyone. Matt Barkley is somehow flying under the radar this year, despite throwing for nearly 2,000 yards and 20 touchdowns already. Like I said in the headline, this is USC’s title game, and as much as I despise the way Lane Kiffin works, I think he’ll have his kids ready to go in this one. Pick: USC 35-34.

The BCS standings say that UF is the 10th best team in the nation, but nobody should buy that. On neutral ground, the Gators beat half the teams ranked ahead of them (I’ll leave it up to you to determine which of those teams you think they’re better than) in the polls, and in Gainesville they probably defeat most of the teams ranked ahead of them.

This thought process isn’t based solely on what they did to Kentucky on Saturday either. The Wildcats didn’t stand much of a chance going into the game, although their defense has shown improvement this year. No, this is based on the fact that the Gators still own some of the best talent in the country and are one of the few programs that can say they have a complete football team. Their loss to Ole’ Miss was an aberration and obviously the defeat not only has motivated them, but also has re-focused them as well.

It’s hard to fathom Texas and/or Alabama losing this season, but it’s even harder to believe that the BCS Championship won’t feature two one-loss teams with how crazy the season has been this year. That said, there’s no reason to think the Gators can’t run the table with the way they’ve handled LSU and Kentucky the past two weeks. Therefore, Florida’s a program that pundits should start paying attention to again as true title contenders.

After Florida RB Percy Harvin scored on a 15-yard touchdown run with just over three minutes remaining in the game to cut the Rebels’ lead to 31-30, Gators’ K Jonathan Phillips had an extra point blocked. Florida’s defense forced a punt, but Tim Tebow was stopped on 4th and 1 sneak attempt from the Ole Miss 32-yard line less than two minutes left to play, which allowed the Rebels to run the clock out after the change of possession.

QB Jevan Snead threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead Ole Miss. Junior WR Shay Hodge also hauled in three passes for 133 yards and a touchdown.

After USC lost on Thursday night, several pundits felt that Florida was the best team in the nation and would compete for a title. But this game proves how tough it is to come out of the SEC. Mississippi isn’t even one of the conference’s best, but as they proved Saturday, no team in the SEC is a pushover. To upset the No. 4 team in the nation is impressive. But to go into Gainesville and knock off the No. 4 team in the nation is unbelievable, especially considering Florida arguably has the best player in the nation in Tebow.

Oregon State will just have to share the upset spotlight this week.