Times staff writer Ben Bolch analyzes Saturday’s matchup:
Most intriguing story line: If the college football monopoly in Los Angeles were the familiar board game, USC would be claiming second prize in a beauty contest after offsetting its horrid start with six consecutive victories. UCLA would be seeking a “Get out of jail free” card after four losses in five games. It’s been that kind of season for the local teams, though the Trojans still had a chance to reach the Pac-12 Conference title game going into Saturday. The upside to the rivalry game is that whoever prevails always feels like it just landed on “Go.