As a two-point home underdog, UCLA shut out the Oregon Ducks, who were playing without Dennis Dixon, by a 16-0 score, but only gained 220 yards of offense. USC played a Thursday night game at Arizona State on November 22, and beat the Sun Devils 44-24, covering as a three-point road favorite.

HEAD-TO-HEAD college football betting trends:
* USC has covered six of the last eight meetings
* USC has won seven of the last eight meetings SU
* USC has won and covered the last five meetings at home
* USC has scored 29 points or more in four of the last five meetings
* The home team has covered the last four meetings

LAST MEETING: UCLA broke a seven-game series losing streak with a 13-9 home victory at the Rose Bowl, covering the game as an 11.5-point favorite. UCLA did this despite only 235 total yards. UCLA has failed to exceed the 300-yard barrier in the last six meetings.

ABOUT USC:

The Good News — USC ranks 10th in the nation, is pass defense and second in total defense. That defense has allowed opponents to rush for just 2.5 yards a carry. QB John David Booty has thrown for seven TD’s without an interception since returning from injury. And All-American offensive tackle Sam Baker is back in the lineup as well. USC still has a chance to go to the Rose Bowl game, and a BCS at-large bid is also still a possibility.

The Bad News — The Trojans have turned the ball over 23 times this season. And the team ranks 100th in net punting as well as 97th in punt returns.

USC TRENDS:
* USC has covered five of its last six games
* USC has won 23 of its last 25 home games SU
* USC has covered seven of its last nine home games
* USC has played eight of its last nine games UNDER the total
* USC has played its last five home games UNDER the total
* USC has covered five of its last 14 games as a double-digit favorite

ABOUT UCLA:

The Good News — The Bruin defense has often held up its end, limiting opposing rushing attacks to just 2.9 yards a carry. Matt Slater has averaged 31 yards per kickoff return. And kicker Kai Forbath has made 22 of 26 field goal attempts. UCLA can also put some pressure on the passer (35 sacks).

The Bad News — QB Ben Olson may not be able to play after injuring his knee again during practice. That would leave Patrick Cowan and Oscar Rasshan to handle UCLA’s quarterbacking duties. The injuries under center have caused UCLA’s offense to sputter (ranked 89th in the country).

UCLA TRENDS:
* UCLA has covered 11 of its last 16 games
* UCLA has played five UNDERS in its last six games
* UCLA is 3-9 SU in its last 12 road games
* UCLA has played four OVERS in its last five road games
* UCLA is 10-2-1 ATS in its last 13 as a dog

THE BOTTOM LINE: There is a load of incentive for USC in this one, including revenge for last season’s loss. That one hurt. We respect UCLA’s prowess as a dog, but until last year they haven’t performed very well in this series. As long as John David Booty is in a bit of a groove and the offensive line is healthier, we prefer this Trojan squad over a UCLA crew that is still in a state of confusion at the QB position, and which got just FOUR completions and 220 total yards out of its offense last week. Lay the points with USC,

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