Best College Football Prop Bets for USC vs. UCLA in Week 13

Cross-town rivals meet in Week 13 when USC and UCLA square off.

It has been a trying season for both teams, but each is looking to end the season in good form with a win against the other. For UCLA, the team has played its best ball down the stretch, while USC has turned to backup quarterback Jayden Maiava in a dress rehearsal to potentially win the QB1 job for next season.

I’m aiming for Maiava’s passing yard prop as one of my favorites in this Big Ten clash in addition to two others.

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Jayden Maiava OVER 247.5 passing yards

Maiava had little trouble stepping in for Miller Moss last week in the Trojans’ win against Nebraska, passing for 259 yards while completing 71% of his passes with four total touchdowns.

To beat UCLA, the passing game is key. The Bruins are a far better defense against the run than the pass, ranking 46th in EPA/Rush and 97th in EPA/Pass.

The Trojans continue to have an embarrassment of riches in the passing game, and the dropoff from Maiava to Miller appears to be non-existent.

Also, UCLA hasn’t played an elite passing game in a while. Against them, the Bruins’ pass defense has struggled quite a bit. Against LSU, Garrett Nussmeier completed 32-of-44 passes for 352 yards. Against Indiana, Kurtis Rourke passed for 307 yards on 25 of 33 passing. Finally, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel passed for 272 yards on 31 of 41 passing.

Maiava may not be as elite or household, but he can get over this number.

Kwazi Gilmer OVER 32.5 receivers

Gilmer is having a quiet outing against Washington, but it wasn’t for a lack of volume.

The receiver had eight targets, a season high, but had just three catches and eight yards, bringing down his recent production. Before UCLA started to see an uptick in play, three straight wins, Glimer had receiving totals of 21, 88 and 32, so this is a pretty median result for him.

The USC defense is stout against the pass, but as the Bruins continue to let Garbers throw the ball around the field, at least 35 passes in four of the last five games, I’ll join Glimers over.

TJ Harden OVER 49.5 Rushing Yards

Harden went under his rushing yardage last week, but the volume continues to be there for the Bruins back. While he’s by committee, that’s three straight games with double-digit carries.

If Harden is going to get that kind of volume against a USC rush defense that ranks 98th in the country according to Pro Football FocusI’ll need a handful of impressive runs from him to get past this total. Furthermore, USC’s inability to get in the backfield, outside of the top 100 in tackles for loss, should mean that Harden is constantly getting yardage.

The odds are updated regularly and are subject to change.

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