The USC Trojans look to achieve bowl eligibility as they head on the road to face off against their cross-town rivals, the UCLA Bruins on Saturday night. The Trojans (5-5) enter off a 28-20 home win over Nebraska, while the Bruins (4-6) fell at Washington in Week 12, 31-19. The road team has won four straight games in this rivalry, including a 38-20 UCLA victory last season. This is the first meeting between the teams as members of the Big Ten Conference. The Trojans are 6-4 against the spread, while the Bruins are 6-3-1 ATS in 2024.
Kickoff from the Rose Bowl is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET. The Trojans are 4.5-point road favorites in the latest USC vs. UCLA odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 51.5. Before making any UCLA vs. USC picks or CFB predictions, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks, and it is a strong 21-15 on all top-rated picks over the past eight weeks of this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen strong returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on USC vs. UCLA and has locked in its picks and CFB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college football odds for the USC vs. UCLA game:
- USC vs. UCLA spread: USC -4.5
- USC vs. UCLA over/under: 51.5 points
- USC vs. UCLA money line: USC -186, UCLA +155
- USC vs. UCLA picks: See picks at SportsLine
- USC vs. UCLA streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why USC can cover
Quarterback Jayden Maiava made the most of his first start at USC since transferring from UNLV this past offseason. The sophomore, who replaced Miller Moss, completed 25 of 35 passes for 259 yards with three touchdown passes against only one interception vs. Nebraska. He also added 20 yards and a score on five rushing attempts. The Trojans' top two receivers, Duce Robinson and Zachariah Branch, each caught touchdowns against the stingy Cornhuskers' defense.
Running back Woody Marks surpassed 1,000 yards rushing with a 19 carry, 146 yard performance in Week 12. This season, the senior is averaging 5.9 yards per carry and has rushed for 1,024 yards and nine touchdowns. He will have his work cut out for him as UCLA boasts the conference's fourth best rushing defense (100.6 yards allowed per game), though Maiava should succeed against the Big Ten's third worst passing defense (245.7 yards allowed). USC looks for its first road win this season in its last regular season game away from home. See which team to pick here.
Why UCLA can cover
After a 1-5 start to their season, the Bruins won three straight games before falling in Seattle to the Washington Huskies last Friday night. Quarterback Ethan Garbers threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns in the loss and has now thrown for multiple scores in the team's last four games. On the season, he has 2,173 passing yards, with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Running back T.J. Harden has gotten more playing time of late, having rushed for a combined 44 attempts over the last three weeks. Against Iowa two weeks ago, Harden rushed for a season-high 125 yards and 20 carries. He should find daylight against a USC defense that is giving up 132 yards rushing per game, in the bottom third of the conference. With USC's road struggles and the Bruins' recent good play, Saturday night's game should be a close contest at the Rose Bowl. See which team to pick here.
How to make USC vs. UCLA picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 61 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time. You can only get the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Trojans vs. Bruins, and which side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced computer model that's up well over $2,000 on its college football picks since inception, and find out.