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AUSTIN – Tom Herman has another shot at keeping his perfect record against ranked opponents as a head coach this weekend as Texas travels to Los Angeles.

The Longhorns, who earned their first win last weekend against San Jose State, faces No. 4 USC at the Coliseum on Saturday (7:30 p.m. CT, FOX). Texas is a 15.5-point underdog as it heads for its first road game of the season.

So what does Texas need to do to earn the upset? The Horns247 staff breaks it down and gives their prediction for the contest.

Bobby Burton, Publisher

Texas must move the ball on offense to have any chance against the Trojans. And they have to do it on just about every possession. USC is just too good on offense to expect a low-scoring output with Sam Darnold, Ronald Jones and the Trojan OL to roll against Texas. At the same time, I expect Texas to fight till the end for respect, much like the Horns did for Mack Brown in his first-ever trip to LA to play UCLA almost 20 years ago.

USC 41, Texas 24

Jeff Howe, Senior Writer

I'll start by getting the obvious out of the way right off the top. With as much as I know about Texas, and after re-watching USC thoroughly punish Stanford, I just don't see how I can go out on a limb and pick the Longhorns to win this game. The biggest thing working against Texas is the matchup against Sam Darnold and the USC offense. Not only are the Trojans a well oiled machine, but given the issues Texas has in the secondary and the lack of disruptors upfront, I'm failing to see how the Longhorns come up with enough stops to get the victory. I do believe Texas has the talent to hang with USC and in big games these Longhorns have shown they can show up ready to play. That said, it's going to take something totally unexpected in terms of Texas playing a flawless game and having some breaks go their way (similar to how they beat Oklahoma in 2015) to leave the Coliseum victorious.

USC 42, Texas 28

Mike Roach, Recruiting Analyst

Tom Herman has a stellar record against highly-ranked teams, but I'm not sure Texas has enough to get it done on the west coast. The Longhorns face questions at multiple positions, and USC has a legit Heisman candidate in Sam Darnold. It would take a truly special performance for Texas to come back with a win. I'm not sure this team has that in them yet.

USC 45 Texas 20

Garrett Callahan, Managing Editor

After earning a 6-0 record against ranked teams at Houston, Tom Herman will have his team ready for the magnitude of the contest and what to expect. But no matter who starts behind center for Texas, I think there's too much going against the Longhorns to pull an upset in Los Angeles. Expect Herman to at least make it interesting as Texas fights with the Trojans for much of the contest. In the end, Sam Darnold, two potential NFL-caliber running backs and a strong defensive line will just wear the Longhorns down.

USC 44, Texas 21