Game Prediction: #13 USC Trojans vs Oregon Ducks

A year ago at this team USC head coach Clay Helton was on the hot seat, but the school stuck with them, and he has rewarded them by leading the Trojans to a 5-0 record and a trip to the Pac 12 title.

Helton is looking to win his second Pac 12 championship, but standing between the Trojans and a league title is the defending champion Oregon Ducks. Oregon is coming off back-to-back losses, and it needed Washington to have to cancel their appearance because of Covid-19 to even get in this game.

Here are our predictions:

BRYAN DRISKELL, PUBLISHER

Prediction: Oregon 31, USC 27

USC has been winning ugly all season, and they did it again last week against UCLA. The Bruins had that game won until a couple of late mistakes allowed the Trojans to get back in it and win it.

Oregon is coming off two straight losses, and they backed into this game when Washington had to cancel because of Covid-19 issues. The Ducks are going to be hungry and will look to end the season on a high note. This isn’t the same explosive Oregon offense we’ve seen in recent seasons, but USC’s defense has been quite vulnerable this season.

Oregon also has the talent in the front seven to give the USC offensive line problems, and I predict the pressure it can put on the quarterback will result in Trojan passer Kedon Slovis making a couple of huge mistakes that prove costly. Oregon will establish the ground game, and this time the Trojans won’t be able to rally late and win.

VINCE DEDARIO, FOOTBALL ANALYST

Prediction: USC 34, Oregon 31

Frankly I do not know what to make of this game. I have yet to stay up and watch the PAC12 this season because they are virtually irrelevant. USC somehow keeps snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. They are the most up and down undefeated team in the country.

The best part is that the committee knows it. That is why they are ranked where they are and have zero chance of crashing the CFP party on Sunday afternoon. Oregon got a last minute call to even get into this game so it is hard to expect much there. Lady luck has been on the side of the Trojans all year so I will give them the edge in the most inconsequential conference title game in history!

NATHAN ATKINS, IB CONTRIBUTOR

Prediction: USC 45, Oregon 41

USC is betting on an early Christmas miracle to get into the College Football Playoff. Here's how that could happen:

Blowout Oregon
ND wins vs. Clemson
Northwestern win vs. OSU

That's probably not going to happen. USC is 5-0, but Oregon is a formidable opponent with a defense that plays on the other side of the line of scrimmage consistently and an explosive offense.

USC will need a stellar performance from sophomore quarterback Kedon Slovis to fight off the Ducks. Oregon doesn't make a living by dominating the time of possession, so this will be a shootout.

The Trojans will be 6-0, but unfortunately, the CFP isn't happening for them this year.

BRIAN SMITH, IB CONTRIBUTOR

Prediction: USC 35, Oregon 31

Quarterback Kedon Slovis will give Heisman voters something to think about heading towards the off season, as he will light up the Ducks to the tune of 400 yards passing. The sophomore signal caller will be a frontrunner in next year's Heisman race, and he shall not disappoint against Oregon. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown will be a beneficiary of Slovis's passes and catch seven balls for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Oregon's offense will move the football, but sophomore quarterback Tyler Shough will throw a costly interception and the Ducks running game will just be so-so for the evening. Playing an uphill battle all game long, the Ducks come up short.

RYAN PALMERI, IB CONTRIBUTOR

Prediction: USC 24, Oregon 21

USC has to keep winning games from behind and Oregon was disappointing this season. The Pac 12 as a whole was just very forgettable. While USC can join the playoff conversation with a win, the entire conference has been pretty much written off.

USC has the talent to win but they have a tendency to start slow and rally for a comeback all year. If they mess around too long, Oregon may not let the Trojans sneak back in.

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