Gameday predictions: UCLA vs. USC

UCLA travels across the city this weekend for its final regular season game. The Bruins are coming off a 17-9 win over the Utah Utes, whereas the USC Trojans are backing into the rivalry game with a 48-28 loss at the hands of the Oregon Ducks. The winner will travel north for a chance to snag the Pac-12 championship.

Here’s what Daily Bruin Sports predicts before Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. kickoff.

Claire Fahy, sports editor
UCLA 27, USC 24
This rivalry game is one for the ages – at least one for the coach Jim Mora era, as it’s so fondly called. Since USC’s 50-0 rout of UCLA in 2011, the Bruins have owned this matchup, winning the past three. Not once in any of those years have the stakes been this high for either team, as a win guarantees a Pac-12 championship berth. The Bruins’ offense is currently firing on all cylinders and will be hard to stop. Freshman quarterback Josh Rosen has not thrown an interception in more than 200 consecutive passes and senior receiver Jordan Payton just set a school record for career receptions. UCLA looked efficient against an aggressive Utah defense last weekend and should be able to exploit USC for points. The Bruins defense also looked strong as defensive coordinator Tom Bradley exhibited an ability to make in-game adjustments rarely before shown. This game will be a nail-biter to the finish, but UCLA could be on its way to the team’s first Pac-12 championship since 2012.

Matt Cummings, assistant sports editor
UCLA 42, USC 24
A little over a month ago, this would have been a different story. The Trojans looked ready to vindicate the preseason hype, and the Bruins’ season was slipping away. But now this matchup actually looks good for UCLA. For much of the season, the Bruins’ offense was better able to pick apart weak run defenses than weak pass defenses. Not anymore. With Rosen now evolved into a premier passer, UCLA is well-equipped to torch a USC defensive unit that’s stout against the rush but vulnerable through the air. The Bruins will put up points, and on the other side of the ball, they’ll be fine against an offense that hasn’t been anything special lately.

Korbin Placet, assistant sports editor
UCLA 31, USC 28
Mora has a record of 14-3 on the road going back to the 2013 season. That’s right, 14-3. It is pretty incredible, since playing at home is generally considered to be the ultimate advantage. Yet, somehow Mora has figured something out while playing away from the Rose Bowl. Maybe playing at the Coliseum will extend UCLA’s dominance over USC to four years in a row and push the Bruins to the Pac-12 championship game. It will be hard, no doubt, and some would even argue that the Trojans need this win more than their banged up counterpart. Reaching the title game would help salvage a season that saw the Trojans fall short of expectations, and lose its coach.

Tanner Walters, assistant sports editor
UCLA 28, USC 20
If you’re looking for a game with storylines galore, look no further. If you’re looking for a game to put your next betting venture on, run for the hills. Sure, Rosen and the UCLA offense could light up the ‘SC secondary, but can the freshman really keep up his clean interception-less streak that much longer? There were a couple of suspect passes against Utah last Saturday that narrowly avoided disaster, so I’m expecting some sort of reality check at some point or another. With that said, UCLA has proven over and over this year that it will keep fighting back and even when there are stumbling blocks the Bruins still find a way. My final regular season prediction is that they’ll keep finding a way this weekend at the Coliseum.