luckadjusted
CFB Week 4 · 2026

College football · Week 13 2026 · Saturday, November 28

USC vs UCLA prediction and pick

Our USC Trojans at UCLA Bruins pick: UCLA by 2.8, 56% to win. The forecast rates every team against the opponents it has played, this season and last, and adds home field. No betting information goes in.

An early look, 9 weeks ahead: it sharpens as the game comes up. Updated every day until kickoff, then frozen and scored. After the game this page shows who deserved to win.

Why the curves are so wide: luck. Even with both teams’ strength known exactly, one game’s bounces, kicks, calls and sequencing move the final margin by about ±12.1 points (one standard deviation, measured from every play since 2019). These forecasts carry ±17.1, so about 50% of the width is that luck; the rest is what nobody knows yet about the teams. That is why a 7-point favorite still loses about 3 times in 10.

USC at UCLA

Sat, Nov 28, time to be announced · Rose Bowl

UCLA by 2.8 · 56% to win

Show as a table
OutcomeChance
USC win43.6%
UCLA win56.4%
Middle 50%: USC by 8 to UCLA by 1450%
Middle 90%: USC by 25 to UCLA by 3190%
Middle 95%: USC by 31 to UCLA by 3695%
Exactly UCLA by 36.5%
Exactly USC by 36.2%
Exactly UCLA by 75.1%
Exactly USC by 74.5%
Exactly UCLA by 143.3%
P50
Half of games like this end between USC by 8 and UCLA by 14.
P90
9 in 10 between USC by 25 and UCLA by 31.
P95
19 in 20 between USC by 31 and UCLA by 36.
Where the forecast comes from
Last seasonUSC+8.3
This season, against its opponentsUCLA+7.8
Home fieldUCLA+3.1

The season so far

TeamRecordCoin-flip winsLuck in wins
USC 4–1 4.0 +0.3
UCLA 4–0 3.9 +0.7

Coin-flip wins: the wins each team’s games were worth with only the kicks, bounces, drops and calls re-rolled, the record adjusted for luck. Luck in wins: actual wins minus what the play was worth.

USC vs UCLA: questions and answers

Who will win USC vs UCLA?

Our forecast picks UCLA, with 56% to win; USC win 44% of the time.

What’s the spread for USC vs UCLA?

Our spread: UCLA −2.8. The betting line isn’t out yet. Ours uses no betting information, so where the two differ is where our read of the teams differs from the market’s.

When is USC vs UCLA?

Saturday, November 28, 2026 (kickoff time to be announced), at Rose Bowl.