USC Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2020 season

USC will be looking to wrap up Pac-12 play with a game in the Rose Bowl against their hated rivals the UCLA Bruins.

This is a big year for UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, as he has not been able to recreate the success that he had over a decade ago with the Oregon Ducks and the Bruins are hoping to get some sort of return on their investment after luring Kelly to Los Angeles. Kelly has enough talent returning for the Bruins to make a bowl game and the non-conference schedule does not include Oklahoma or Cincinnati.

A lot of UCLA’s potential will rest on third year starting quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. He made a lot of improvement in his sophomore season, but there is still plenty of room to get better. The defense will need to make necessary strides as well, as the Bruins have had some of the worst in the country in recent seasons.

After winning three straight from 2012-14, the Bruins have lost four of the last five over the Trojans. The Bruins will be better, but USC has too much offensive firepower.

Final Score: USC 48, UCLA 31 (8-3, 7-2) 

In the final game of the regular season for the Trojans, USC hosts Notre Dame and the Fighting Irish could be playing for a spot in the College Football Playoff, but they will have to go through Los Angeles first.

Notre Dame has won three straight in the series and will be looking to extend it as it’s also looking for its fourth straight double-digit win season. Notre Dame returns Ian Book and one of the best offensive lines in football, but will be missing several defensive contributors, so replacing them will be key before facing an offense as powerful as USC’s should be.

I think this will be the year that USC will be able to snap the streak and earn some bragging rights in the series. USC has the better quarterback and wide receivers, which is an area that Notre Dame has been very good at in recent seasons.

Expect a back-and-forth game that will come down to the last possession. Kedon Slovis will lead the Trojans to victory and then the questions will begin on if Clay Helton has done enough to save his job.

Final Score: USC 45, Notre Dame 42 (9-3, 7-2)