Greg McElroy has made his prediction for a Saturday bout between USC and Utah.

In a game that has plenty of Pac-12 implications, McElroy is picking the Utes in this one.

The ESPN analyst gave USC credit for looking like a solid team, but ultimately he gives the edge to Utah due to its defensive capabilities and physicalities.

“I like Utah in the game. I look at USC, I think they have all the bells and whistles you could possibly want,” McElroy said on Always College Football. “They have a ton of speed. I don’t trust Utah’s offense at all, but based on what I saw last week with Vaki and Jackson, I think that rushing attack will neutralize the time of possession, I think they could possess the ball 34, 35 minutes of the game. And I look at Utah, I think they’re a very physical football team.”

McElroy is rooting for USC to bounce back, but ultimately he doesn’t think the Trojans have what it takes to get past Utah on Saturday.

“Will USC get back off the mat? I sure hope so,” McElroy said. “I hope they win the game … I don’t want to be beating up on SC the rest of the way, but I think Utah is a more physical team, I think Utah is a team that’s kind of found their identity the last couple of weeks, and I think regardless of who’s playing quarterback for them, I think they have what it takes to disrupt enough of Caleb Williams’ offensive rhythm to be able to get the win.”

USC comes into the game after facing a blowout loss to Notre Dame last week. The Trojans are certainly looking for a signature win to get them back on track.

Meanwhile, Utah comes into the game looking to maintain a hot start to the season. The Utes faced a loss to Oregon State a few weeks ago, but getting a big win over the Trojans would be huge for them.