USC vs. UCLA Football 2018: Prediction, Betting Odds, Preview For Rivalry Game

Local bragging rights and little else will be on the line Saturday, when the UCLA Bruins (2-8) host the USC Trojans (5-5) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. In a mostly forgettable season for both Los Angeles programs, the two rivals look to close out Pac-12 play with hopes of building towards a better 2019.

Both teams will be intensely focused on this game despite having another opponent on the schedule. USC will finish the season at home against rival No. 3 Notre Dame, while UCLA will end the year against a Stanford Cardinal team that has stumbled after starting the season 4-0.

It's been a rough year for first-year coach Chip Kelly. After success with the Oregon Ducks, Kelly moved on to the Philadelphia Eagles and then spent one season with the San Francisco 49ers, compiling a record in the pros of just 28-35. In 10 games with the Bruins, Kelly has watched as the Bruins have spent most of the season at the bottom of the Pac-12 South.

UCLA's only two wins came on the road against Cal and at home against Arizona on Oct. 13 and Oct. 20, respectively. Since then, the Bruins have lost three straight and by a margin of 18.3 points. The Bruins have struggled on defense, holding only Cal to under 30 points.

Things haven't exactly been great for Clay Helton either. The fourth-year coach has been subjected to speculation that he's on the hot seat in what has been a highly disappointing season. The Trojans entered the season ranked No. 15, but quickly fell out of the Top 25 with losses in Week 2 and Week 3.

USC has lost three of their last four games and last Saturday's 15-14 loss to Cal was particularly brutal. Helton's offense was shut out in the second half, compiling just 40 total yards.

A bright spot for the Trojans was the 31-20 win over then-No. 19 Colorado.

The 2017 UCLA-USC matchup featured two quarterbacks selected in the first 10 picks of the draft: Sam Darnold of USC and Josh Rosen of UCLA. This year's feature matchup might be remembered for the running backs.

Aca'Cedric Ware has been a big contributor for the Trojans. The senior has rushed for 730 yards and is coming off back-to-back big games. Ware rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns against Oregon State and ran for 103 yards on 16 carries against Cal.

UCLA also boasts a dynamic running back in Joshua Kelley. The junior, who picked UCLA over USC after transferring from UC Davis, has scored a touchdown in six consecutive games and has five games of at least 124 rushing yards.

In 2017, USC held off UCLA, 28-23, at the Coliseum. The last time UCLA defeated USC was in 2014.

Line: USC -3 (Vegas Insider)

Over/Under: 54.5 points

Start Time: 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT

TV: FOX

Live Stream: fuboTV

Prediction: Kelly will likely dig into his bag of tricks against USC but the Bruins won't much of an answer when the Trojans have the ball. The USC offense has been inconsistent but it's still loaded with talent, while the Bruins' defense simply concedes too many points.

USC over UCLA, 38-21