The Pac-12 Championship Game may not have realistic playoff implications -- in fact, it doesn't even have Rose Bowl implications by association because it's one of the semifinal sites. Still, the rematch between Stanford and USC should be far more interesting than it was in Week 2 when the Trojans came away victorious 42-24.
Plus, there's still the Heisman campaign for Cardinal running back Bryce Love. In all reality, Love isn't catching Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield unless he crumbles in the Big 12 Championship Game, but it's still a good opportunity to watch one of college football's most entertaining players at a reasonable hour.
Here's all you need to know about Friday night's stand-alone game on conference championship week.
Viewing information
Date: Friday, Dec. 1 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Levi's Stadium -- Santa Clara, California
TV: ESPN | Live stream: WatchESPN
Storylines
Stanford: What's the status of running back Bryce Love? He'll play, we know that much, but how explosive will he be? He's been battling an ankle injury for damn-near half the season, and while he's still putting up fine numbers, he clearly wasn't the same against Notre Dame in Week 13. The silver lining for Love is that Stanford actually has a working passing game to spell him now, something it didn't earlier in the year against the Trojans.
USC: Playoff or bust was the narrative for the Trojans coming into the year. What gets lost in that are the accomplishments in between. USC has 10 wins with a chance at 11 and the Pac-12 championship and a spot in a New Year's Six bowl game, likely the Fiesta Bowl. Yeah, quarterback Sam Darnold has had his ups and downs, but there's a real belief he'll be coming back next season. Plus, we get to see what USC looks like coming off a bye for a change!
Prediction
Rematches are hard to predict, but I feel confident that this will not be another blowout win for USC like it was in Week 2. Love may be less than 100 percent, but this is a more complete Cardinal offense that will challenge USC. Overall, Stanford is a better team than it was in September. Besides, USC just isn't a great team against the spread. Pick: Stanford +3.5
So what side do you need to be all over in Friday's Pac-12 Championship Game? Visit SportsLine now to get Zach Cimini's strong pick for the Pac-12 title game between USC and Stanford. Ciminiis gunning for his 14th correct college football against-the-spread pick in his last 19 tries.
