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One major issue seemed to get sidetracked this week, amid all the speculation about the bowl championship series and Louisiana State’s chances of possibly moving past USC for a berth in the Sugar Bowl:

USC must defeat Oregon State today in its regular-season finale at the Coliseum for the Trojans to have a shot at college football’s big prize.

Given the heavily favored Trojans’ momentum, and their history at home against the Beavers, the outcome to many appears a foregone conclusion.

“I can see how people would see it that way ... but Oregon State has nothing to lose,” defensive tackle Shaun Cody said. “We have to make sure we finish.”

USC and the Beavers are concluding their schedules in December because of television.

Today’s game was originally scheduled for Nov. 8, but was changed last winter at the request of ABC because the matchup looked as if it might determine the Pacific 10 Conference title.

Now, even more is riding it, at least for the Trojans.

USC, 10-1 overall and 6-1 in conference play, has already clinched at least a share of its second consecutive Pac-10 title and, at least, a berth in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1995.

But the Trojans are second behind Oklahoma in the BCS standings and hope to earn a Jan. 4 showdown with the Sooners for the national title in the Sugar Bowl. To get to New Orleans, USC must defeat Oregon State and hold off LSU in the polls and the BCS computers’ hard drives.

LSU plays Georgia today in the Southeastern Conference championship game, which will start after the Trojans have played the Beavers.

The BCS situation has made the final home game for Trojan seniors even more meaningful, Coach Pete Carroll said.

“It’s got kind of a bowl-game feel to it,” he said.

Oregon State (7-4, 4-3) has accepted a bid to play in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Beavers have not had much luck, or success, at the Coliseum, though -- or with the conference schedule maker.

The teams are playing at the Coliseum for the third consecutive year, and Oregon State has not beaten the Trojans there since 1960.

In 2001, USC beat Oregon State, 16-13, in overtime. The Trojans shut out the previously unbeaten Beavers last season, 22-0.

Mike Riley, in the first year of his second stint as Oregon State’s coach, said his team was not concerned about the past.

“They don’t have to bear the burden of 40 years, they just have to bear the burden of this week,” Riley said.

Oregon State, averaging 31.8 points a game, will probably have running back Steven Jackson and quarterback Derek Anderson carry much of the load against a USC defense that surrenders only 17.9 points a game.

Jackson, a 6-foot-3, 229-pound junior, leads the conference and ranks 10th nationally in rushing at 121.3 yards a game.

“He’s as good a player as you can expect to play against in that position,” Carroll said. “He’s big, strong, fast, productive, tough, plays forever, catches the ball, blocks -- he does all of the right stuff.”

Anderson, a junior, has passed for 3,251 yards and 20 touchdowns, but has thrown 19 interceptions.

Oregon State ranks first in the Pac-10 in total defense. The Beavers, however, are coming off a 34-20 loss to Oregon in which they surrendered 218 yards rushing.

“I didn’t think anybody would run the ball like Oregon did against us,” Riley said. “We’re obviously going to have to step that up this week because we’re playing, by far, our toughest opponent.”

USC, averaging a conference-best 41.3 points a game, extended its winning streak to seven games and its home winning streak to 14 with a 47-22 victory over UCLA on Nov. 22.

Quarterback Matt Leinart leads an offense that is averaging 456.4 yards a game.

Leinart has passed for 30 touchdowns, with only seven interceptions, and has not thrown an interception in the last six games. A strong performance today could earn him a trip to New York next week as one of five finalists for the Heisman Trophy.

Leinart said neither he nor the Trojans were looking ahead.

“We all know what could happen if we win, but we’re not putting any extra pressure on ourselves,” Leinart said. “If we just keep doing what we’ve been doing, I think we’ll be fine.”