Another
marquee game this week features a PAC-12 showdown of the Southern California
schools as #18 USC travels across town to #17 UCLA. Both teams have had strong
seasons this year and both have different means of motivation. This game will
feature lots of big time talent and a couple of high profile coaches as well.
While UCLA has been playing really well as of late, USC will be a tough challenge
for the Bruins to overcome.
Having
won their last four games, UCLA is riding a nice wave at the moment. Coming off
of a blowout win against a ranked Arizona team, UCLA nearly had a letdown
against a less-than-mediocre, Washington State team before finding themselves
and pulling out a victory. In addition to conference standings, UCLA has even
more riding on this game as they have not beaten USC since 2006.
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| #18 USC looks to take down rival #17 UCLA this weekend. |
USC on
the other hand, has not played as well as of late, losing two of their last three
contests, albeit in close affairs. That being said, the Trojans came on strong
at the end of last week’s game and both QB Matt Barkley and star WR Marqise Lee
will pose a difficult test for the Bruin defense. Additionally, whether you
love him or hate him, Lane Kiffin never fails to get his team ready when the
cameras are on. This week is no different as the crosstown rivalry draws a lot
of media attention.
What I’ll
be watching for is how will UCLA respond to last year’s embarrassment at the
hands of the Trojans (55-0)? How will they defend against USC’s strong passing
attack? If UCLA can keep this game close late, they will be victorious; however
I just don’t see Lane Kiffin and the Trojans allowing this to happen. Vegas has
the line favoring USC at -4 which I feel is a pretty accurate spread for this
type of game. Although I believe that USC will win, I’m just not sure that it
will be beyond the spread as USC is having a rough year (3-7) against the
spread.
The Sports Messiah’s Picks: UCLA +4, USC gets the win
- The Sports Messiah
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