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NATE BAUER 12-1 | Romping through the last two-thirds of its schedule, Southern Cali- fornia's trajectory aligns with Penn State's. Both teams have brutal early-season losses, both teams have a win against a College Football Playoff participant, and both are riding long winning streaks. Ranked to begin the season, the Trojans got off to a disappointing 1- 3 start, while Penn State began 2-2 before turning its season around in October and nar- rowly missing the playoff. But the story lines will have little to do with what transpires on the field. This should be a high-scoring game between two well-matched teams. Given that the Lions were able to exploit one of the Big Ten's best defenses in the league title game, it's unlikely that the Trojans' defense is going to have all the answers. Because scor- ing is going to be prevalent, Penn State's explosive tendencies offensively are enough to warrant a slight edge. | PENN STATE 41, USC 37 PHIL GROSZ 11-2 | Penn State and Southern California enter enter this game as two of the hottest teams in college football. The Trojans are on an eight-game winning streak, while Penn State has won nine in a row. Both offenses were red hot in the second half of the regular season. In Penn State's last five games, it averaged 46.4 points and 506.2 yards per game, 7.3 yards per play and scored 28 touchdowns. As for the Trojans, they have the most balanced offensive attack in the Pac-12, averaging 207.2 yards per game on the ground and 261.7 through the air. One potential advantage for Penn State is that Southern Cal's defense has surrendered 13 plays of 30 or more yards this season. That total ranks last in the Pac-12. I expect this to be a high-scoring game, and the way Trace McSorley has played in Penn State's last nine games, I can't go against the Nittany Lions. | PENN STATE 35, USC 31 MATT HERB 9-4 | I keep thinking that their brinksmanship is going to come back to haunt them one of these weeks, but the Nittany Lions keep proving me wrong. I am now 2-4 when picking against Penn State this season, so feel free to take the following with a grain of salt: Southern California does not look to be the kind of team that can be beaten with anything less than four solid quarters. The Lions were able to come back on Wis- consin because they had favorable matchups in the secondary, and Trace McSorley was able to get the ball to his receivers in the second half. Against USC, those receivers are going to be facing the likes of Adoree' Jackson. The Lions did famously rally vs. Ohio State, as well as the Badgers, but they also lost two of the games in which they fell be- hind early. Like Michigan and Pitt, I believe USC has the potential to make Penn State pay if that pattern continues. | USC 34, PENN STATE 31 TIM OWEN 11-2 | A slow start might create an early deficit to overcome. The defense might take time adjusting to the speed and explosiveness of the USC athletes, while Joe Moorhead and the Penn State offense feel it all out. But, then, aBer halBime, look out. LiBoff. At this point, how can I pick anything different? No Power Five team scores more second-half points than Penn State's average of 29.7; the Trojans average only 13.3. That's the main reason why I'm siding with the Nittany Lions. Although USC has a top-25 de- fense, I don't believe that its offense can keep pace, especially if the Lions eat their orange slices at halBime. Against good defenses – and I consider PSU's to be good – USC averages fewer than three touchdowns a game. The Trojans only put up 21 against Colorado and 26 against Washington. I just don't see that being enough. | PENN STATE 34, USC 28 RYAN SNYDER 11-2 | When this matchup was first announced, I was originally leaning toward Southern California. Quarterback Sam Darnold has been a game-changer for the Trojans, while running back Ronald Jones II has quietly emerged as one of the nation's top rushers. In addition, defensive back Adoree' Jackson is the biggest home run threat that PSU's special teams have seen this season. However, if you take a closer look at the compe- tition these two teams have faced, Penn State's run of nine consecutive wins is the more im- pressive of the two. Since upsetting Ohio State, the Lions have found all sorts of different ways to win, although I don't think they can afford to get off to a slow start in the Rose Bowl, as USC will put up points against PSU's defense. Look for junior receiver Chris Godwin to have a big game, then announce he's headed to the NFL. | PENN STATE 38, USC 31 S T A F F P R E D I C T I O N S D E C E M B E R   3 0 ,   2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 PSU starters set to miss Rose Bowl The Nittany Lions will be without two key starters in the Rose Bowl, as wide re- ceiver Saeed Blacknall and outside line- backer Manny Bowen have been suspended for the game due to what Penn State de- scribed as a violation of team rules. Blacknall, a junior, was one of the heroes of the Big Ten Championship Game, fin- ishing with six catches for 155 yards and two touchdowns. He is sixth on the team in catches with 15 for 347 yards. Bowen, a sophomore, is tied for fourth on the team with 68 stops and is tied for sec- ond with 8.5 tackles for loss. Koa Farmer is expected to step in as the starter at outside linebacker, while DeAn- dre Thompkins is Blacknall's likely re- placement at wideout. Asked earlier this week about James Franklin's decision to suspend the two play- ers, safety Marcus Allen said he thought the third-year coach "handled it well," and noted that PSU has overcome a number of personnel losses over the course of the year. "We faced a lot of adversity throughout the season," Allen said. "So that shouldn't be a problem, although you do feel for those guys. It's just a next-man-up mentality. Got to move on. Got to focus on the Rose Bowl." In other personnel news, Franklin re- vealed earlier this month that redshirt jun- ior offensive tackle Brendan Mahon will not play in the game for health-related rea- sons. Mahon, who started the team's first nine games, was injured in the first quarter against Iowa on Nov. 5. In keeping with his policy, Franklin did not offer any details about Mahon's health, saying only that he was one of 10 players who had suffered season-ending injuries over the course of the year. Franklin's policy has been to confirm in- juries only when they are season-ending. He did not do that with Mahon at first, raising hopes that he might return for the finale against USC. Those hopes were dashed when Franklin cited Mahon along with nine other players who will not play against the Trojans. The other players he listed were offensive tackles Paris Palmer, Andrew Nelson and Chance Sorrell, line- backers Jake Cooper, Von Walker, Jan John- son and Jason Vranic, wide receiver Brandon Polk and tight end Nick Bowers.

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