Bill Connelly’s SP+ has USC winning by a landslide in its final game against Stanford as Pac-12 peers.

The Trojans and Cardinal will split after the year, with USC moving to the Big Ten and Stanford to the ACC. This series has been played every year since 1945, with the lone exception being the COVID-altered 2020 campaign. USC has won six of the last 11, including a 41-28 victory at Stanford last season.

Connelly’s predictive model is calling for a 45-13 USC victory on Saturday. It gives the Trojans a 97% chance of winning.

USC, ranked sixth in the country, has opened the year 2-0. The Trojans beat San Jose State in their Week 0 opener, then followed that up last weekend with a 66-14 win over Nevada.

So far this year, the Trojans have averaged 6.9 rushing yards a game and 9.5 yards a play. Quarterback Caleb Williams has completed 36 of his first 49 passes for 597 yards and nine touchdowns without an interception.

In a 37-24 win over Hawaii last Friday, Stanford opened the Troy Taylor era by recording six sacks and eight tackles for loss. The Rainbow Warriors fell behind early, 21-7, and leaned on the pass game throughout. Sophomore linebacker David Bailey was unblockable in the game, coming away with three sacks and four tackles for loss.

USC will be working in a new starter on the offensive line, so if Stanford is going to stand any chance against the high-powered Trojan offense, being able to win at the line of scrimmage and put pressure on the quarterback is a must.

Kickoff on Saturday is set for 7:30 p.m. PT on FOX.