L.A. TODAY : NO. 7 UCLA (8-2, 6-1) AT USC (6-4, 4-3).

Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. at the Coliseum (sold out)

TV/Radio: Channel 7 live, replay at 5 p.m. Sunday on Fox Sports West2; KLSX-FM (97.1), XTRA-AM (1150).

Series: USC leads 34-25-7. UCLA has won six straight, including a 48-41 double-overtime victory last year in the Rose Bowl. The Bruins have won three straight in the Coliseum and are 4-2-1 in their former home.

UCLA update: Bruins have won eight straight, their longest winning streak in 10 years. A UCLA win coupled with a Washington State loss puts the Bruins in the Rose Bowl. Quarterback Cade McNown is 2-0 against the Trojans and No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency. Offensive tackle Chad Overhauser (ankle) did not practice this week but is expected to play; if he can't go, senior Dan Cotti will start. Bruins defense is 14th in the nation against the run and 16th against the pass. In Pac-10 play, Bruins have scored fewer than 30 points only once, while USC has scored more than 30 points only once. . . . Here's a good omen for the Bruins: UCLA defeated USC 38-20 in the managers game Friday.

USC update: The Trojans have to figure out a way to match UCLA offensively. Although they kept the offense basic in a 23-0 win over Oregon State, USC should be more creative today, as in its 45-21 victory over Stanford. Daylon McCutcheon could see more offensive snaps than in the previous two games. The running game, which has been a problem most of the season, could be the key. USC would like to dominate time of possession and keep UCLA's high-powered offense off the field. That means the offensive line will have to pick up UCLA's confusing blitz packages. The Trojans' defense is ranked first in the Pac-10 against the run (84.1 yards per game), but USC is worried about allowing the big play against the Bruins.

?13- Scott Wolf and Jon Wilner

No. 11 Washington St. (9-1, 6-1) at No. 17 Washington (7-3, 5-2)

Time/TV: 12:30 p.m./No TV.

Outlook: Washington State's Leon Bender has been wearing a ragged Apple Cup 1996 T-shirt underneath his jersey all season. The memory of last year's overtime loss to Washington is painful and the defensive lineman hopes it's payback time for the Cougars. ``Last year they beat us in our house,'' Bender said. ``We're going to their house to take it away from them.'' Respect is something that WSU's defense is also seeking. The defense has been overshadowed this season by an offense that is averaging a school record 500 yards and 42 points per game, both second in the nation. The defense is less impressive, yielding 24 points per game to rank just sixth in the Pac-10. Meanwhile, the Huskies are in the unfamiliar role of playing spoilers. A win by Washington - 6-1/2 point favorites despite two straight losses - could knock the Cougars out of the Rose Bowl, a game Washington State hasn't played in in 67 years. ``We haven't played well the last couple of weeks,'' Huskies linebacker Jerry Jensen said. ``So it definitely would be nice to play this week. If I had my choice, I wouldn't have the Cougars in the Rose Bowl.''

Oregon St. (3-7, 0-7) at Oregon (5-5, 2-5)

Time/TV: 1 p.m./No TV.

Outlook: The Ducks are going after their fourth consecutive winning season, something that hasn't happened since the 1930s, in their Civil War finale today. And, a win could give the Ducks entry into a lower-profile bowl game. The Motor City Bowl in Pontiac, Mich., will have a representative at Autzen Stadium. Oregon also is reportedly high on the list of the Sports Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho; the Las Vegas Bowl, and the Insight.com Bowl, formerly the Copper Bowl, in Tucson, Ariz. First year Oregon State coach Mike Riley, however, has smaller goals. Like his first Pac-10 victory. Oregon has beaten the Beavers three straight times and 18 of the past 22. The Ducks' 49-13 win last year was the most one-sided Civil War game since 1987.

Cal (3-7, 1-6) at Stanford (4-6, 2-5)

Time/TV: 12:30 p.m./No TV.

Outlook: So what if it's not the game of the century. So what if both teams are sub-.500. It's the 100th Big Game and that makes it big. California and Stanford renew a rivalry today at Palo Alto that is one of the longest running in college football.In the 99 previous Big Games, 46 have been decided by a touchdown or less and six came down to the final play, including the five-lateral kickoff return known as ``The Play'' that Cal used in a 1982 victory. ``It doesn't matter if there's a bowl on the line or rings or watches or whatever it might be,'' Cal coach Tom Holmoe said. ``There's going to be two teams out there fighting for their teams, their schools, for each other, for what they wanted to accomplish during the season and maybe didn't get a chance to.'' Both teams have struggled and enter the centennial contest with nothing at stake except bragging rights. But a win in the finale would take some some of the sting out of disappointing seasons for both schools. ``This is our bowl game,'' Stanford running back Mike Mitchell said.