Huskies take on No. 11 USC

SEATTLE – Matt Barkley was just a freshman and knew there would be other chances later in his career to get even with Washington.

It didn’t make watching Huskies fans pour onto the field following Washington’s upset of the then-No. 3 Trojans three seasons ago any easier for Barkley to accept after sitting on the sidelines the entire game with a sore shoulder.

Barkley and his No. 11 Trojans make their first visit to Seattle since that 2009 upset when they face the Huskies today at CenturyLink Field. Even though he didn’t play the last time USC (4-1, 2-1 Pac-12) ventured north, Barkley doesn’t view this matchup with any more importance with the Trojans trying to rebuild a resume that took a hit less than a month ago with their upset loss at Stanford.

“It’s just another game on the schedule,” Barkley said.

“It’s exciting, and they’re a great opponent, but I don’t look at it any other way.”

Washington (3-2, 1-1) is at the tail end of a brutal six-game stretch that included road games at then-No. 3 LSU, No. 2 Oregon and home games against Stanford and now USC. But a win today and a third upset of the Trojans in the past four meetings would be a major coup for the Huskies considering how daunting the schedule looked before the season began.