College football experts make predictions for Oregon vs. USC

As conference play picks up across the college football landscape, the level of intensity in games is on the rise. That's no more true than down in Los Angeles this weekend, where the Oregon Ducks will face the USC Trojans in the biggest rivalry game we've seen between the two teams in years, and the biggest game either has played this season.

There's a lot on the line, as both Dan Lanning and Lincoln Riley are coaching for the respect of their fan base, while each team works to stay in the College Football Playoff race. The Ducks are the road favorite going into the game, despite being the lower-ranked team, but what plays out on Saturday is going to have to do with what happens in the trenches on both sides of the ball.

All week, we've broken down the game and analyzed what we expect to happen, but now let's take a look at what the national media guys think.

Analysis: "I think Oregon goes down there and gets the win. Oregon wins this game 45-42, but I'm going to take USC in the points. I think it could be close. I don't know if I trust either team right now. I think it's a high-scoring affair. I think Maiava plays well. I think USC runs the ball well because that defensive line for Oregon is not playing up to their potential. So Oregon wins the game 45-42, and I'm taking the points with USC."

Analysis: "It brings me absolutely no joy, but at this point, if Dan Lanning needs the kind of motivation we've been given Joey Maguire, so be it. USC is gonna win this game outright. Good for Lincoln Riley. I can't believe what just happened. I can't believe it. It's like Will Ferrell in Old School. I was just kind of entranced during the whole preview, and now I came out of it. What happened? I blacked out. I picked USC to beat Oregon. That's pretty stupid. We'll see how that works out for me."

Analysis: "Even if their offense plays better, I don't think either defense is going to make one of these quarterbacks look human for four quarters. And so I just see everybody kind of scoring at will, and I just think it's going to come down to who has the ball last at the end of the game, and I just love a lot of points."

Analysis: "I think (USC) has the edge on the offensive side of the ball, offensive line side of the ball. But Dan Lanning's culture; I picked him to win the national championship. I think they made a lot of corrections, and we have a great example of quick corrections being made in Week Two with Michigan and Oklahoma; that's where I'll go. Oregon, I'll take the minus three and a half."

Analysis: "The question is game planning and preparation, and all things being equal, the game being in L.A., the questions we still have about Oregon on both sides of the ball-I have USC winning in a shootout. I think this is their moment. Now, I think Oregon has better receivers. I think Oregon has better high-end talent on both sides of the ball, but that really hasn't been a question with Oregon. They've assembled great rosters, but in this spot, I don't know; this is like a prove-it moment for Oregon because they have not proven it this year."

Analysis: "This is a big-time prove-it moment for USC as well. The window is open right now. 38-35 is my final score. I've got USC outright as well."

Analysis: "It still feels like USC is a playoff team, short of them being blown out in this game, which I don't foresee happening. I still think that they're a team that will be in the College Football Playoff with the roster, with the offensive firepower they possess, and y'all, they might win this game, but I'm not picking it. The Ducks get it done. Oregon wins. Oregon covers. Final score: 41-37. Why? Because they have to."

Analysis: "Look, USC has the better protection. They have the better third-down offense. They have the home crowd. Meanwhile, Oregon has the takeaways, and the formula says that three sacks in a sub-28 night wins this game for Dan Lanning. We do not see Oregon keeping this offense under 28 in the Coliseum; I'm taking the USC Trojans to win this game 34-31."

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