Cal Football Preview: Bears at No. 9 USC Saturday Night

Cal plays its second top-10 team in two weeks, but this one is on the road

It's out of the frying pan and into the fire for Cal, which faces No. 9 USC and quarterback Caleb Williams on Saturday night one week after losing to No. 8 Oregon and quarterback Bo Nix last week.

The facts for Saturday's game

CAL (3-5, 1-4 Pac-12) vs. NO. 9 USC (7-1, 5-1 Pac-12)

SITE: L.A. Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles

WHEN: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

TV: Dave Pasch (Play-By-Play), Dusty Dvoracek (Analyst), Tom Luginbill (Field Analyst)

RADIO: KGO 810 AM -- Joe Starkey (Play-By-Play), Mike Pawlawski (Analyst), Todd McKim (sideline reporter).

BETTING LINE: USC favored by 21.5 points. Over/under: 60.5

WEATHER FORECAST: Saturday night will be cool and muggy in Los Angeles. The afternoon will bring sunny skies with a high of about 70 degrees, but the temperature will cool down to 50 degrees Saturday night. The sky will remain clear but the humidity will rise to about 81% Saturday night. There is just a 3% chance of rain.

CAL-USC HISTORY: USC leads the alltime series 71-32-5, but Cal has won two of the past three games against the Trojans. Cal won last year’s game in Berkeley 24-14, the teams did not face each other in the 2020 pandemic season, and Cal lost in 2019 in Berkeley 41-17. The last time the teams met in Los Angeles was 2018 and Cal won that game 15-14 to end a 14-game losing streak to the Trojans. With USC headed to the Big Ten in 2024, this is likely to be Cal’s final game at the L.A. Coliseum.

---Pac-12 bowl projections---

CAL PLAYER AVAILABILITY: QB Jack Plummer has been playing with a variety of bumps and bruises but is expected to play Saturday. CB Lu-Magia Hearns III, ILB Blake Antzoulatos and OLB Braxten Croteau -- all of whom missed last Saturday's game and are potential starters -- are listed as day-to-day with a good chance of returning for the USC game. Inside linebacker Mo Iosefa also missed Saturday's game and is questionable for the USC game.

USC PLAYER AVAILABILTY: WR Jordan Addison missed the past two games with an injury, and WR Mario Williams missed last week’s game with an injury. Both are questionable this week.

CAL STORYLINES: Cal has lost four straight games. The Bears are 0-3 on the road and 1-8 away from home since the start of the 2021 season . . . The Bears allowed a season-high 42 points and a season-high 586 yards to Oregon in last week’s 42-24 loss to the Ducks . . . This is the third straight week the Bears will face an elite quarterback (Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., Oregon’s No Nix, USC’s Caleb Williams). . . Cal ranks . . . Freshman RB Jaydn Ott ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in rushing at 84.3 yards per game, but he has been limited to 70 yards or fewer in each of the past four games . . . Cal ranks 11^th in the Pac-12 in scoring offense at 23.4 points per game . . . The Bears ranks ninth in the conference in total defense and sixth in scoring defense (25.0 points per game) . . . The Bears need to win three of their final four games to become bowl-eligible.

---USC beat writer answers 5 questions about the Trojans---

USC STORYLINES: The Trojans are ranked No. 9 in both the AP poll and the CFP rankings released Tuesday. If they win the rest of their games, they would be in contention for a berth in the CFP national semifinals . . . USC is coming off a 45-37 victory over Arizona, which followed its only loss, a 43-42 defeat against Utah . . . The Trojans ranks second in the Pac-12 and eighth in the country in scoring offense, averaging 40.2 points per game. . . . However, the Trojans ranks seventh in the Pac-12 in total defense and have allowed 80 points over their last two games against Utah and Arizona . . . Turnovers/takeaways have been the key to USC’s success. USC leads the nation in turnover margin (plus-16) and fewest turnovers (one) . . . The Trojans have intercepted 13 passes, which ranks fourth in the country . . . Quarterback Caleb Williams, a transfer from Oklahoma, has thrown 10 touchdown passes with no interceptions over the past two games and his 24 TD passes for the season rank third in the country. He has thrown just one interception . . . Running back Travis Dye, a transfer from Oregon, rushed for 113 yards against Arizona, and that was his fifth game in which he ran for more than 100 yards this season . . . With starting WRs Jordan Addison and Mario Williams both sidelined with injuries against Arizona, Trojans wide receivers Tahj Washington and Kyle Ford each had more than 100 receiving yards in that game.

CAL PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Jack Plummer (13 TD passes, 5 interceptions); RB Jaydn Ott (675 rushing yards, 24 receptions); WR J.Michael Studivant (43 catches, 6 TDs); ILB Jackson Sirmon (team-leading 76 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble); WR Jeremiah Hunter (35 catches, 15.5 yards pre reception); S Daniel Scott (49 tackles, 2 interceptions).

USC PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Caleb Williams (24 TD passes, 1 interception); RB Travis Dye (760 rushing yards, 6.3 yards per carry); WR Jordan Addison (questionable to play, 39 receptions, 7 TD catches); WR Mario Williams (questionable to play, 26 catches, 4 TDs); DL Tui Tuipolutu (12.5 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks); S Bryson Shaw (Pac-12 defensive player of the week).

CAL STATISTICS: Click here

CAL NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click here

USC STATS, NOTES, DEPTH CHART: Click here

JAKE'S PICK: USC 32, Cal 20

JEFF'S PICK: USC 42, Cal 20

WYATT ALLSUP’S PICK (All Trojans): USC 45, Cal 24

TICKETS: Click Here

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Cover photo of USC running back Travis Dye is by Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA TODAY Sports

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