After plenty of waiting and anticipation the Pac-12 kicked off its season last week, although the last Power Five league to start playing in 2020 certainly didn’t begin without a hitch. Two games were canceled right off the bat last week in Week 10. One of the games lost was Arizona and its trip to Utah. The Wildcats will officially start their season for the second time this Saturday, this time at home against No. 20 USC.
The Trojans are coming off the full Clay Helton experience in their 28-27 win over Arizona State. USC played a tight, turnover-riddled game, fell behind and then made a miraculous two-touchdown comeback in the final three minutes of the game. In their defense, this was their first game in nearly a year — and at 9 a.m. PT, no less. There were a lot of cobwebs to knock loose for both teams. Still, USC is 1-0 and trying to march towards a Pac-12 Championship. Up next is a team that was picked last in the Pac-12 South by the media in the preseason.
What are the storylines to watch for Saturday’s matchup? We’ll get to those below, along with game information and our team of expert picks.
Storylines
USC: If there’s one thing holding the Trojans back, it’s their defense. It doesn’t help that star defensive lineman Jay Tufele opted out of the season, but there are a lot of questions on that side of the ball and new defensive coordinator Todd Orlando is a bit behind the 8-ball given all the disruptions 2020 has provided. Those shortcomings showed up against the Sun Devils, who averaged 6.4 yards per play with most of their success on the ground. There also wasn’t much in the way of a pass rush and quarterback Jayden Daniels burned them with his feet for 111 yards. Arizona’s offense isn’t quite as dynamic on paper, so USC could have a better showing this time around.
Arizona: The Grant Gunnell era officially begins at quarterback. After appearing in eight games last year, Gunnell takes over as the Khalil Tate years unfortunately, but perhaps mercifully, are over. Gunnell was solid in 2019, throwing for 1,239 yards, nine touchdowns and just one pick. He looks better suited for Kevin Sumlin’s offense, too. Considering Arizona’s defense was dead last in the Pac-12 last year in points per game allowed, the offense may have to play great right away to keep up with USC.
Viewing information
Date: Saturday, Nov. 14 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Arizona Stadium — Tucson, Arizona
TV: Fox | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
USC vs. Arizona prediction, picks
It’s always an adventure with USC, but they’re the better, more talented team. Unless Arizona’s defense has made an overnight transformation, quarterback Kedon Slovis should have a big day. Can Arizona keep up with its new-look offense? Maybe, but this is also the Wildcats’ first game of the year. Playing the divisional favorite right out of the gate means you have to play sharp and that’s a lot to ask when USC has had an opportunity to shake off the rust. Pick: USC -14
Which college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 11? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread — all from a proven computer model that has returned almost $3,900 in profit over the past four-plus seasons — and find out.
