COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME OF THE WEEK

UCLA (9-1-0) at USC (11-0-0) Saturday, December 03, 4:30:00 PM EDT Game Stats Preview > Southern Cal are 21 point favorites. The total for this game has been set at 74.

Lines | First Halfs | Halftimes |

GAME NOTES: (MySportsbook.com) The eyes of the college football world will be watching this weekend as the top-ranked USC Trojans attempt to wrap up a perfect regular season against the 11th-ranked UCLA Bruins. UCLA opened this campaign with eight consecutive victories, and many believed the club would reach this weekend's game with a perfect record and battle USC for a trip to the Rose Bowl. Those plans came crashing down on November 5th when the Bruins were trounced by Arizona, a sub-.500 team, by a 52-14 final. UCLA can claim a share of the Pac-10 title if it can knock off the Trojans, a task much easier said than done. USC, which owns a six-game winning streak over UCLA, is trying to extend a number of Pac-10-record winning streaks. The Trojans have won 33 straight games overall, 26 consecutive home games, 22 Pac-10 tilts in a row and 18 straight league home games. As if those numbers aren't impressive enough, it is also important to point out that Pete Carroll's group has been the top-ranked team in a national record 32 straight AP polls, and the club is riding an NCAA record 15-game winning streak over AP Top 25 teams. USC was pushed to the limit by Fresno State in the most recent outing on November 19th but managed to escape with a hard-fought 50-42 victory. Now, a victory over the Bruins this weekend will guarantee the Trojans a spot in the Rose Bowl, this year's BCS National Championship Game. If the two-time defending champs should lose this game, they are guaranteed no worse than a share of the Pac-10 crown and a trip to the Fiesta Bowl, although many believe they will play for the national championship regardless of the weekend's outcome. USC owns a 40-27-7 advantage in the all-time series with UCLA, including a 29-24 triumph in last season's matchup. This meeting marks the 35th Trojan-Bruin game in which the Rose Bowl has been on the line for at least one of the programs, but it?s only the second clash ever between an undefeated USC team and a one-loss Bruin squad.

UCLA was last in action way back on November 12th against Arizona State, and the result of that contest was a hard-fought 45-35 win. Bruins' quarterback Drew Olson may be the nation's most underrated player and should be a Heisman finalist. He completed 22-of-27 passes for 510 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions against the Sun Devils in what was arguably the best performance by a quarterback in any game all season. Three different players finished with over 100 receiving yards in the win for UCLA, proof that Olson likes to spread the ball around. The sensational senior signal caller has completed 67.7 percent of his passes for 2,909 yards with 30 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Marcedes Lewis paces the wideouts with 55 grabs for 711 yards and 10 touchdowns, and Maurice Drew spearheads the ground attack with 816 yards and 12 scores. The fact that UCLA averages 40.0 ppg and 444.4 total ypg has to scare USC, as Olson and company can score in bunches.

The UCLA offense has been outstanding this season, but the defense leaves much to be desired. Opponents are racking up 30.6 ppg against the Bruins while posting over 200 ypg both on the ground and through the air. UCLA has allowed 23 rushing touchdowns and 14 passing scores, and the fact that the club has only five interceptions in 10 games is concerning. Stopping the run has been a major problem for the Bruins, who are yielding 5.0 ypc. Spencer Havner has clearly been the most active defender for UCLA, as he has made 84 total tackles thus far, including 15 that have resulted in lost yardage. Havner has also registered a pair of interceptions and recovered two fumbles, and he will obviously have his hands full this weekend against one of the best offenses in the history of college football.

It is becoming increasingly harder to say anything original about USC tailback Reggie Bush, as every superlative that applies has seemingly been used by the media and fans. Bush racked up a Pac-10 record 513 all-purpose yards in the narrow win over Fresno State, and that performance may have earned him the Heisman Trophy. The speedster has 1,398 rushing yards and 13 scores to his credit, and his average of 8.6 yards per carry is staggering. As a receiver, he has made 31 catches for 383 yards and two scores, and he has reached the end zone on one of his 17 punt returns as well. Bush may be asked to carry an even larger portion of the load than usual this weekend, as fellow tailback LenDale White injured his left shoulder in practice this week and is listed as questionable for the UCLA game. White has run for 1,024 yards and 19 touchdowns, and his bruising style is a perfect complement to Bush's game- breaking speed. Opponents of USC are unable to crowd the line in hopes of stopping Bush and White because defending Heisman winner Matt Leinart and his talented receivers feast on man coverage. Leinart will be a finalist for college football's top individual award once again, as he has completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 3,217 yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Dwayne Jarrett has made 75 catches for 1,070 yards and 14 touchdowns, and Steve Smith has 54 grabs to his credit for 900 yards and five scores. With so many weapons, USC is never out of a game.

The Trojans are racking up 48.5 ppg, and while that number is much larger than the 21.5 ppg that the team is surrendering, it is obvious to those who have followed this team that USC is vulnerable defensively. Fresno State was able to rack up 427 yards and six offensive touchdowns against Carroll's team a couple of weeks ago, not exactly a national champion-caliber performance by the defense. Fortunately, the Trojans were able to register four interceptions that played a major role in the win. Opponents with strong offenses, such as Notre Dame and Arizona State, have had considerable success moving the ball against the Trojans, and UCLA has the weapons to put some major points on the board. USC is allowing 351.0 total ypg, and 17 of the 28 touchdowns the club has surrendered to opposing offenses have been passing scores. Fortunately, the Trojans have come up with 34 takeaways, including 22 interceptions. Keep an eye on Frostee Rucker, as 11 of his 50 tackles have come behind the line of scrimmage.

If you like offense, this is your game. The stakes of this rivalry matchup are obviously spiked tenfold, and while Olson will keep things close, it is hard to pick against college football's best leader (Leinart) and best player (Bush). The Trojans were bold enough to schedule 12 regular season games, and all 12 will result in victory.

Betting Situations

UCLA most recently...

After a win are 7-3
After playing Arizona St. are 2-3
When playing within conference are 7-3
When they are a dog on the road are 4-6
After out gaining opponent are 5-5
When playing on grass are 8-2
When playing in December are 2-6

Southern Cal most recently...

After a win are 10-0
When playing within conference are 10-0
When they are favored at home are 10-0
After out gaining opponent are 10-0
When playing on grass are 10-0
When playing in December are 2-2

Preview cont...

Some trends to consider:
UCLA is 1-5-0 ATS in its last 6 lined games against Southern Cal
UCLA is 6-3-0 ATS in its last 9 away lined games
UCLA is 15-6-0 ATS in its last 21 lined games
UCLA is 5-0-0 SU in its last 5 games after scoring more than 40 points
Southern Cal is 5-0-0 SU in its last 5 games after scoring more than 40 points
Southern Cal is 5-1-0 ATS in its last 6 lined games against UCLA
Southern Cal is 18-5-0 ATS in its last 23 home lined games
Southern Cal is 2-6-0 ATS in its last 8 lined games

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