The Minnesota Golden Gophers will look to get back on the winning track on Saturday evening when they play host to the No. 11 USC Trojans, the first time the two teams will meet as Big Ten conference opponents.
The Gophers have lost back-to-back games over the past two weeks to Iowa and Michigan while USC bounced back from a loss to Michigan in week four to defeat the Wisconsin Badgers in Los Angeles last weekend 38-21.
We've previewed this game throughout the week but now with kickoff just hours away, it's time to make our prediction for Saturday night's matchup.
Let's get right into it, I'm not sure the Gophers have enough to get by the Trojans this week.
This USC defense is much improved from the past few years and offensively, the Trojans may not be as explosive as in year's past but they still have plenty of offensive weapons that can cause damage.
In order to win this game, the Gophers will have to play a mistake free game both on offense and defense.
They will not be able to afford to give the Trojans any extra possessions while defensively, they won't be able to afford missed tackles on USC's multiple offensive weapons. While they haven't been bad in the turnover category this season, they have struggled with missed tackles at times and defensive miscues that have proved costly the last two weeks especially.
Ultimately, I do believe this is a game in which the Gophers would need either a defensive or special teams touchdown to pull out the victory.
I do like the Gophers to cover the spread in this game but I have my doubts they'll pull out the upset on Saturday night.
PREDICTION: USC 31 - Minnesota 23
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