San Francisco Chronicle: Cal-USC: Plenty of meaningful meetings - Trojans have won nearly twice as many

In the long history of Cal-USC football, the stakes have never been as significant or clearly defined as they are for Saturday's showdown in Los Angeles: Win and you're in the Rose Bowl (at worst), lose and you can all but officially forget about playing in Pasadena on New Year's Day.  These teams have met 95 times, dating to 1912, and the Trojans enjoy a hefty advantage (59-30-6). Few of the games were played in mid-November, but many still carried conference championship implications, even if it's easier to realize in hindsight.  Here, then, are the 10 most meaningful Cal-USC games, based mostly on the records and rankings of both teams, what rode on the outcome and what unfolded in the aftermath. (The games are listed in reverse chronological order.)  

2004: USC 23, Cal 17. This was a rare instance when both teams were ranked in the top 10, the Trojans at No. 1 and the Bears at No. 7. Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed his first 23 passes, an NCAA record, a capacity crowd of 90,008 crackled with electricity and the outcome twisted in doubt until the Trojans stopped Cal inside the 10-yard line in the final minute.  The lone drawback for pure drama: It happened on Oct. 9, not Nov. 18.  USC steamed through the rest of its season, finishing 13-0 and winning the national championship. Cal did not lose another regular-season game, came tantalizingly close to the Rose Bowl and absorbed a 45-31 thumping from Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl.

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