ESPN’s FPI predicts outcome of Week 13 rivalry game between USC-UCLA
ESPN’s FPI is back with more predictions for the week ahead in Week 13.
The USC Trojans will look to become bowl-eligible as they travel to the Rose Bowl to take on a UCLA team that saw its 3-game winning streak snapped last Friday against Washington.
The Trojans had lost 3 of their previous 4 games before defeating Nebraska, 28-20 in Week 12. The win didn’t come without some controversy as USC appeared to get away with a pass interference on the game-clinching interception.
The Bruins were sitting at 1-5 after losing to Minnesota but had battled back to win 3 straight before the loss to Washington. UCLA cut the deficit to 14-13 early in the 3rd quarter, but the Huskies scored the next 18 points to win the game.
Neither of these teams is competing for a national championship or a B1G title, but both of them still have a chance to make a bowl game. ESPN’s FPI is giving the Trojans a 74% chance to win this game, leaving the Bruins as home underdogs with only 26% chance of winning this game.
The former Pac-12 and now B1G rivals will collide in a 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT) kickoff from the Rose Bowl with the game aired on NBC.
Jayden Maiava got his first start at USC last week, and he was able to make plays with both his arm and his legs. He was 24-of-35 for 259 yards and 3 touchdowns, while also rushing for 20 yards and another score.
Running back Woody Marks was also huge for the Trojans, as he rushed for 146 yards. He became the first USC running back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season under Lincoln Riley and the first USC player to do so since 2017 (Ronald Jones).
Quarterback Ethan Garbers threw for 267 yards and 2 touchdowns for UCLA against Washington, but the Bruins were unable to get anything going running the ball. UCLA rushed the ball 33 times for only 52 yards.