The hype alone carries the sort of intensity you can feel in your chest as the No. 7 Ducks prepare for a key matchup with No. 15 USC. This game is dripping with Playoff implications. USC enters the game fresh off a thrilling victory over the Hawkeyes. It’s the Trojans’ last road trip, and you can tell that something about this game will be a bit different because of the chilly air and the energy that penetrates the stadium. Pat McAfee, who was at the epicentre of the excitement, may have felt it a bit too intensely.

Before Oregon and USC face each other on the field, the entire nation could sense the atmosphere changing just by looking at McAfee standing amidst a dense Eugene fog. The sort where, as he said, “It could scare some people. It could freak some people out.” However, there seems to be a message hidden in between his words.

The Ducks thrive in this setting. They’ve already battled through muck against Wisconsin, fought through sideways rain at Iowa, and unleashed their full-speed attack when the weather finally cooperated. And Saturday’s prediction appears to be favorable for Oregon’s firepower. Dante Moore becomes a record-breaking machine in good weather, and the Ducks become the toughest team in the league in bad weather, and USC must be concerned about both.

That’s why Pat McAfee’s line, “Whenever you see this type of stuff around here, that means one thing and one thing alone. It’s football season. Yeah, it’s 39 degrees. Can’t see shit. But Autzen Stadium is gonna be electrifying tomorrow.” That hit like a warning, especially for a Trojan team stepping into Autzen with everything on the line.

That’s where USC is most affected by the “sad news” McAfee pointed to. If the fog rolling over Autzen feels like a preview, the Trojans know exactly what he means. This season, they have previously battled storms, rain, delays, and chilly nights. And Saturday isn’t Trojan’s first encounter with bad weather. This is their third.

Trojans enter Oregon clash carrying their past weather wounds

USC had already been dragged through every wretched inch of the storm against Iowa State by the time the dark clouds eventually lifted above the Coliseum. Their chances of making the playoffs appeared to be slowly sinking during the first half. But then the spark showed up. The heart of USC, Makai Lemon, lit up the second half. The entire game was turned upside down by his touchdown in the third quarter, which was torn through fog, confusion, and tight coverage. USC was stuck in the mud one minute and fighting like a squad that wouldn’t let its season end the next.

But the Trojans have to admit the storm that shattered them in South Bend. The entire scene was engulfed in shadow as the rainstorm that night felt cruel, with sheets of water pounding helmets and sideways rain. When the weather briefly improved, USC had opportunities and even took the lead with that 42-yard strike to Lemon. Then trick play followed. And in the most heartbreaking moment in the rivalry’s last chapter, Lemon took the handoff, attempting to work magic in a monsoon, only to have the ball ripped away.

Because of this, this USC squad enters Week 13 with both pride and scars. They’ve won over Iowa in a Coliseum flood, endured a chilly night in Lincoln, drowned at Notre Dame, and won in thunderstorms at Purdue. The weather has been almost like a character in their plot this season. The Trojans are now preparing for another chapter that won’t be written in beautiful sunlight as a journey to Oregon approaches and the stakes are higher than ever.