Nick Kranz: So here's the thing. USC really has a lot of similarities to UCLA. Both teams have well-balanced offenses that threaten equally through the air and on the ground. Both teams have strong lines. Both teams are, at least from a recruiting rankings perspective, meaningfully more talented than Cal. Both teams are marginally depleted thanks to injuries and/or sanctions. Many of the issues that Cal failed to deal with against UCLA will again be issues against the Trojans.
The good news is that Cal is unlikely to play as badly as they did against USC. Goff will probably be more accurate.