USC Trojans vs California Golden Bears Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/04/2021

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Monday, Nov 29, 2021
Game Time: 11:00 pm ET, Saturday, December 4, 2021
Venue:  California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA
Where to Watch:  Fox Sports 1

 

Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  USC +2.5, California -2.5; Over/Under:  57.5 points
Bet365:  Point Spread:  USC +2.5, California -2.5; Over/Under:  57.5 points
BetMGM:  Point Spread:  USC +2.5, California -2.5; Over/Under:  57.5 points
 

Season Record

USC Trojans:  4-7 (4th place, Pac-12 South)
California Golden Bears:  4-7 (4th place, Pac-12 North)
 
Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Will Rogers has had 3 STRAIGHT WINNING MONTHS! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

 

USC Trojans vs California Golden Bears Preview and Analysis

 
Recent Form
USC Trojans:  lost at home on Nov. 27 against the BYU Cougars 35-31.
California Golden Bears:  lost on the road on Nov. 27 against the UCLA Bruins 42-14.
 
 
 

USC Trojans Analysis

USC is coming into this game with a 4-7 record overall and they are 2-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 9th conference matchup of the year and they are currently 3-5 in their conference games this season. They have lost 5 of their last 6 games and are coming into this one on a 3 game losing streak after another loss in their last game. Jaxson Dart played alright in that game as he completed 23/35 passes for 248 yards and 1 touchdown. Vavae Malepeai led the team in rushing with 99 yards and 1 touchdown on 20 carries while Darwin Barlow had 81 yards on 19 carries. Dart also ran in 1 Td himself in that one. Lake McRee led the receivers with 63 yards and 4 receptions while Gary Bryant Jr. had 56 yards and 1 touchdown on 5 receptions. Ralen Goforth led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 3 assisted ones. Chris Steele recorded the only sack in that game while Kana'i Mauga and Calen Bullock both came up with 1 interception each for them in that one. They have scored 330 points in their 11 games this season averaging 30 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 357 points against them allowing 32.5 PPG. Their offense is averaging 405.2 YPG while their defense is allowing 380.6 YPG.
 
 

California Golden Bears Analysis

California is coming into this game with a 4-7 record overall and they are 3-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 9th conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are currently 3-5 in their conference games this season. They have lost 2 of their last 3 games and are coming into this one off of another loss in their last game. Chase Garbers did not play well in that game as he completed 16/31 passes for 125 yards and 2 interceptions. Christopher Brown Jr. led the team in rushing with 61 yards and 1 touchdown on 12 carries while Garbers also ran in 1 TD himself in that one. Kekoa Crawford led the receivers with 42 yards on 5 receptions while Marcel Dancy had 28 yards on 5 receptions. Daniel Scott led the defense in that game with 10 solo tackles and 2 assisted ones. No one on the defense recorded a sack or an interception in that game for them. They have scored 261 points in their 11 games this season averaging 23.7 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 253 points against them allowing 23 PPG. Their offense is averaging 377.6 YPG while their defense is allowing 326.6 YPG.
 

 

USC vs California Prediction

Cal is coming into this game as a 2.5 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. This game was originally earlier in the year a few weeks ago but it was postponed due to covid running through USC. Neither of these teams have been playing well this season and both have nothing left to play for here and will be playing their last games this year. Cal has a much better defense than USC does and they will be able to stop USC as they have not been good this season. The best bet to place in this game is on Cal to cover the spread here at home.
 
USC California Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, December 4, 2021 (11:00 pm ET start time) is California 24 USC 17.
Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert football picks today.  And if you enjoyed this USC Trojans California Golden Bears prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NCAAF predictions and previews.
 

NCAAF Betting Trends

 
USC Trojans: 160-179 O/U in all games. 35-40 O/U as an underdog. 70-80 O/U in road games. 107-123 O/U against conference opponents. 42-52 O/U after playing a non-conference game.
California Golden Bears: 27-31 O/U when the line is +3 to -3. 128-141 O/U in all games. 67-74 O/U as an underdog. 63-66 O/U in home games. 85-113 O/U against conference opponents.
 

Key Injuries

 
USC Trojans:  M. Trigg (TE) Out Indefinitely - Leg injury. K. Pepe (DL) Out Indefinitely - Shoulder injury. I. Sopsher (DL) day-to-day - Undisclosed injury.
California Golden Bears:  W. Craig (OL) Ques Sat - Undisclosed injury. J. Hunter (WR) Ques Sat - Undisclosed injury. K. Deng (LB) Out indefinitely - Leg injury.
 

Notable Quotes

 
"We created turnovers, ran the ball, controlled the line of scrimmage but at the end we made one too many mistakes." - Donte Williams on his team’s loss against BYU in their last game.
 
 
"We really struggled in the third quarter to get much going on offense, and we weren't stopping them on defense. So pick a matchup. They beat us everywhere. We expected to play better. We knew this would be a very tough game." - Justin Wilcox on his team’s loss against UCLA in their last game.
 
 

Starting Lineups

 
USC Trojans
WR Ford, Kyle 
WR Washington, Tahj 
WR Bryant Jr., Gary 
TE Epps, Malcolm 
TE Krommenhoek, Erik 
QB Dart, Jaxson 
RB Malepeai, Vavae 
 
California Golden Bears
WR Clark, Trevon 
WR Crawford, Kekoa 
WR Remigio, Nikko 
TE Tonges, Jake 
QB Garbers, Chase 
RB Moore, Damien 
 

Statistical Leaders

 
USC Trojans
Passing: K. Slovis (2153)
Rushing: K. Ingram (911)
Receiving: D. London (1084)
Touchdowns: G. Bryant Jr. (8)
 
California Golden Bears
Passing: C. Garbers (2350)
Rushing: C. Brooks (558)
Receiving: T. Clark (604)
Touchdowns: D. Moore (6)
 
Coaches:
USC Trojans: Donte Williams (Interim)
California Golden Bears: Justin Wilcox (5th season)


Amedeus Mastrangelo

About the Author:

Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.

All photographic images used for editorial content have been licensed from the Associated Press.

© 2024 Al McMordie's BigAl.com. All Rights Reserved.