Stanford fans will have to wait a week for their Cardinal to return to action as the team completes its bye week. But that’s not to say that there aren’t some intriguing Pac-10 match-ups with interesting ramifications for Stanford.

This weekend, the final two opponents Cardinal fans will have a chance to see at the new Stanford Stadium will square off in Corvallis, Ore., as undefeated No. 3 USC (6-0, 4-0 Pac-10) faces Oregon State (4-3, 2-2). Interestingly, the Beavers and Trojans may represent, respectively, the best and worst chances for a victory remaining on Stanford’s (0-8, 0-5) schedule.

USC will travel to Stanford next Saturday as the Cardinal will be greeted by arguably the most talented team in the Pac-10. The Trojans have dealt with the loss of key players to graduation and the draft — including quarterback Matt Leinart, runningbacks Reggie Bush and LenDale White and safety Darnell Bing — remarkably well this season. Despite having won a number of games by uncharacteristically narrow margins, they still have yet to be defeated in the 2006 season.

Perhaps the most significant sign that the Trojans are still a force to be reckoned with — not just in the Pac-10 but the BCS as well — is that coach Pete Carroll isn’t satisfied with an undefeated record when it is accompanied by less than dazzling outcomes. The Trojans have won their past three games against Washington, Arizona State and Washington State by an average of only 6.33 points. Carroll acknowledged his frustration with his team’s inability to put the competition away in recent weeks.

“I think I’m always impatient,” Carroll said Tuesday in his weekly press conference. “That’s characteristic. We’re always trying to find better ways to do things and do more and all that. I think that’s just part of it. [But] I have been pleased with our ability to win the games that we’ve won.

“I’ve looked at the matchups and the games and how they were played and what happened,” he continued. “I don’t think we were lucky at all. I think we were able to finish games the way we want to finish them. I think we’re doing it well and I think that’s part of what this game is about.”

Meanwhile, the Beavers are limping into their contest with the Trojans, as star runningback Yvenson Bernard may have to sit out with an ankle injury. Bernard has rushed for 746 yards and seven touchdowns this season, and his absence would be a huge blow to any chance Oregon State has of pulling off the upset. Moreover, Oregon State coach Mike Riley said he still regards the Trojans as among the best in the country.

“Oh gosh, I’ve been impressed,” Riley said at a press conference earlier this week. “The fact of the matter is, when you’re like USC — been undefeated and been up at the top of the nation for the last few years — everybody is going to give you their best shot. I think sometimes, people forget that they’ve been in some closer games but they’ve withstood the challenges and won the games and that’s the key. They do it impressively.”

USC, on the other hand, appears to be gearing up for a late-season push, as the team on the whole looks to be getting healthier.

“The kids are enthused about it and feel a little better, getting a little stronger and healthier than we’ve been,” Carroll said. “We rested guys last week that helped us feel a little bit better about ourselves and hopefully, we can hold on to that and get going and get a little momentum going here in the second half beginning with this Pac-10 match-up.”

For the Cardinal, there can be little doubt that neither opponent will be an easy matchup. Now past the midseason mark, Stanford coach Walt Harris was quoted in Wednesday’s San Francisco Chronicle as saying his team can’t afford to worry about going winless for the season.

“I can’t really get into their minds, and with a young football team, sometimes the focus becomes bigger, rather than finite and smaller,” Harris said. “We need to fine-tune our focus, so they are not to be concerned about anything else beyond [the next] play. I’ll make sure it’s something I address with them. Our focus has to be on this play, not the next play, the last play or the game down the road.”

Pac-10 fans can see the USC-Oregon State game on FSN Bay Area. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 PST.