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How and what to watch for No. 15 USC vs. UCLA

The Battle of L.A. will take place at the Rose Bowl on Saturday with both USC and UCLA trending up as the wonky Pac-12 season winds down.

By Nick Simon
Kedon Slovis of the USC Trojans makes a pass during the first half of a game against the Washington State Cougars at Los Angeles Coliseum on December 06, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

The Pac-12’s bizarre 2020 abbreviated season is nearing its conclusion and a marquee rivalry will be renewed this weekend when the No. 15 USC Trojans makes the short trip over to the Rose Bowl to meet the UCLA Bruins.

USC remained one of two undefeated teams in the Pac-12 last week when dispatching of Washington State 38-13 in a rare Sunday afternoon game to move to 4-0 on the season.

The Trojans did most of their work in the first quarter, exploding for 28 points in the first quarter alone. Four of quarterback Kedon Slovis’ five touchdown passes in the first half went to junior wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown. This tandem is supercharging a Trojan offense that’s currently ranked 10th in offensive SP+.

Last weekend, UCLA held off a late push from Arizona State to secure a 25-18 victory and get Chip Kelly over .500 for the first time in his tenure with the Bruins. Demetric Felton punched in the go-ahead score for the Bruins with just over a minute to go, setting up a successful two-point conversion to put them up seven. On the other side of the ball, UCLA’s defense has only yielded three touchdowns combined in their last two outings.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch #15 USC vs. UCLA on Saturday, December 12th at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, or you can stream it via this link with a cable or streaming login.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: USC (-3.5) vs. UCLA
Point Total: 64
Money line: USC (-165) vs. UCLA (+132)

  • Each of USC’s last five games against teams from California have gone over the total points line.
  • USC has failed to cover the spread in 17 of its last 21 day games.
  • UCLA is 4-1 against the spread this season, USC is 2-2 against the spread.
  • USC covered the spread as a 12.5 point favorite in last year’s matchup between the two schools. The over of 66.5 hit in a 52-35 USC victory.

The Best Bet

USC is a slight favorite here, but expect the combo of Slovis/St. Brown to give USC enough of a comfortable cushion to cover.

Pick: USC (-3.5)

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