Prior to donning the Silver and Black each Sunday, many of the Raiders players were wearing different colors on Saturdays, playing for their college teams and representing their respective universities.
This time of the year in particular college rivalries run deep, so we're here to highlight some of the matchups between current Raiders teammates, but former college football foes.
The Matchup:
This week's Raiders.com College Football Matchup of the Week heads to the Pacific Northwest as Head Coach Jack Del Rio's No. 22 USC Trojans travel north to take on offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave's No.23 Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., in a Top-25 battle.
Background:
To say it's been an interesting football season for the Men of Troy would be an understatement.
After starting the season 2-0, the Trojans hit a bit of a rough patch, and Head Coach Steve Sarkisian was fired October 12, just one day after he was ordered to take a leave of absence.
Quarterbacks Coach Clay Helton was promoted to Interim Head Coach after Sarkisian's termination and has led the Trojans to a 7-3 record and put them in the driver's seat to win the Pac-12 South.
Similarly to the Trojans, the Ducks suffered some early bumps and bruises in the first half of the season, but have seemed to right the ship, ripping off four wins in a row.
While they don't control their destiny in the race for the Pac-12 North crown, the Ducks are still in the race, but they need a win against USC to keep their hopes alive.
A Walk Down Memory Lane:
Del Rio:After growing up in Hayward, Calif., Head Coach Del Rio elected to head south and attend USC.
He was a four-year starter during his time in Southern California, where he earned consensus All-American honors as a senior and was also the runner-up for the Lombardi Award, given to the nation's best lineman or linebacker.
He was also named co-MVP of the 1985 Rose Bowl and additionally was a standout baseball player for the Trojans, and was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1981.
The feather was added to Head Coach Del Rio's collegiate cap in May when was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame.
Musgrave:
Prior to Marcus Mariota arriving on campus, Musgrave held a vast majority of the passing records (15 in total) for the University of Oregon, throwing for 8,343 yards with a 57.4 career completion percentage.
During his time in Eugene, Musgrave led the Ducks to back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time in program history and was only the second player in the history of the then Pac-10 conference to throw for 60 touchdowns and more than 8,000 yards during his college career.
Musgrave was also named to first-team all-conference team in 1990 and was inducted into the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 2000.
Prediction:
Full disclosure, as a University of Oregon graduate myself, I may be a little biased in this pick, but I just don't see the Trojans marching into Eugene and securing a win in the pair's first meeting since 2012.
The Ducks have not played host to USC since 2011 when Matt Barkley and Co., beat them 38-35 and effectively ended their bid for a National Championship.
With the way the Pac-12 is currently set up, these two teams don't meet as often as they used to, and while both teams are desperate to stay alive in their respective divisions of the conference, I have to give the edge to Oregon who's playing at home in front a raucous, Autzen Stadium crowd.
45-42, advantage Ducks.
