Go Joe Bruin
Fansided

UCLA Football Early 2018 Schedule Preview: USC Trojans

By TuAnh Dam

SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 01: Head coach Clay Helton of the USC Trojans looks on from the sidelines against the Stanford Cardinal during the Pac-12 Football Championship Game at Levi's Stadium on December 1, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. The Trojans won the game 31-28. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - DECEMBER 01: Head coach Clay Helton of the USC Trojans looks on from the sidelines against the Stanford Cardinal during the Pac-12 Football Championship Game at Levi's Stadium on December 1, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. The Trojans won the game 31-28. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next
SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 01: Head coach Clay Helton of the USC Trojans looks on from the sidelines against the Stanford Cardinal during the Pac-12 Football Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium on December 1, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. The Trojans won the game 31-28. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 01: Head coach Clay Helton of the USC Trojans looks on from the sidelines against the Stanford Cardinal during the Pac-12 Football Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium on December 1, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. The Trojans won the game 31-28. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Go Joe Bruin continues our early 2018 previews with a look at UCLA football’s annual crosstown rivalry game with the USC Trojans.

Continuing our previews of UCLA football‘s season schedule, we now look at one of the biggest games on the schedule – the rivalry game against the USC Trojans.

UCLA Football Early 2018 Schedule Previews

Cincinnati | Okla | Fresno State | Colorado | UW | Cal | Arizona | Utah | Oregon | ASU

USC Trojans

Head Coach: Clay Helton | Overall Record 27-10 (3rd Season at USC)

2017 Record: 11-3, 8-1 Pac-12

2017-18 Bowl Game:  Cotton Bowl lost to Ohio State (24-7)

Related Story. UCLA Football: 10 bold predictions for the 2018 season. light

What: UCLA Bruins vs. USC Trojans

Where: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA

When:  Saturday, Nov. 17

Clay Helton hasn’t lost to UCLA since 2014 – his first year as head coach – and he’ll need to beat the Bruins’ new head coach to keep the streak going.

Since then Helton’s been building the kind of program Bruin fans dream of. But with Chip Kelly now sitting in the head coach’s office in the Wasserman football center, Helton will be feeling the pressure to follow up a Pac-12 Championship and 11-3 season with even better 2018 campaign.

That means no ugly losses to teams especially to ones picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12 South if the Trojans want to reach the College Football Playoffs.

USC’s Five-Year Win Trend

  • 2017 -★★★★★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 11-3
  • 2016 – ★★★★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 10-3
  • 2015 – ★★★★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆ 8-6
  • 2014 – ★★★★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ 8-5
  • 2013 – ★★★★★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 10-4

But even with new motivation after their loss to Ohio State, USC could be sloppy heading to Rose Bowl. They’ll be coming off games against Oregon State and Cal – picked to finish fifth and sixth in the Pac-12 North – and have another rivalry game against Notre Dame looming.

Even so, USC on a bad day has the talent and experience to run all over a young UCLA team on their good day.