| For college football fans, the tranquility and/or boredom of game-free weekends has officially ended. |
| Yes, the college football season is back today along with all of the game-day traditions: tailgating, plopping on the couch with a 60-inch screen, backyard barbecues and incessant complaining about traffic from residents near the Rose Bowl. |
| Hope is high for the USC and UCLA football programs, members of the Big 10 Conference (it still feels weird saying that!). |
| Our L.A. Times sports team put together an amazing digital preview package for the upcoming season. The Trojans start first, hosting Missouri State at the Memorial Coliseum at 4:30 p.m. today while the Bruins welcome Utah to the Rose Bowl at 8 p.m. |
| Let's sample some of that coverage and wish both teams the best of luck. And as an Alabama alumnus myself, may I add a very loud Roll Tide! |
Expect a roller-coaster season from USC quarterback Jayden Maiava |
| My colleague and Trojans beat writer Ryan Kartje said the redshirt junior made a concerted effort over the summer to eliminate the back-breaking mistakes he struggled with last season. |
| Since last season, he dug deeper into head coach Lincoln Riley's offense and worked on his mechanics with the experts at the 3DQB training academy in Huntington Beach. |
| But Maiava's style has lent itself to high variance. |
| He loves to chuck it deep and too often throws it into coverage. That could yield some thrilling results. We'll have to see if that will benefit USC or not. |
| But 4.3% of his passes last season were deemed turnover-worthy by Pro Football Focus. That was third-highest in the Big Ten and too high for USC's offense to reach its potential. |
| Check out Kartje's six bold predictions for USC football. |
UCLA's defense will need big seasons from safety Key Lawrence and edge rusher Devin Aupiu. |
| My colleague and UCLA beat writer Ben Bolch said UCLA will look for leadership on defense. |
| Perhaps the most energetic player on the team, Lawrence, a Mississippi transfer, also boasts plenty of talent, speed and smarts. |
| Barring a setback from a minor right leg injury he sustained midway through training camp, Lawrence projects to be an opening-day starter. |
| He'll need to anchor a secondary that's replacing every starter. |
| As for Aupiu, UCLA's pass rush was meh last season, generating 22 sacks to rank tied for No. 78 in the nation. |
| As a part-time starter, Aupiu made 4½ tackles for losses, including 1½ sacks — decent production given his limited playing time and easily the most among returning players. Getting into the backfield more often this season is a must for the redshirt senior. |
| Bolch has more in his article: "Ten Bruins who must step up for the football team to thrive in '25." |
Prediction time: The Bruins will be bowl-bound while the Trojans will split with their rivals. |
| Bolch is predicting a season full of surprises and a bowl berth for the Bruins. Does he think they'll beat USC? You'll have to read his preview. |
| Kartje is predicting a fast start for the Trojans, who will run into some bumps and bruises in the Big 10 before rallying with a flourish. Will USC topple UCLA and Notre Dame? |
| Kartje thinks only one victory is in store, but which one? Read his preview to find out. |
| Our Times sports team also lays out key points to watch in UCLA's and USC's season openers while they chat up what's in store this season. |
| Of course, you can always find more at each team's landing page, https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla and https://www.latimes.com/sports/usc. |
| See you at a game. |
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| Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team |
| Jim Rainey, staff writer
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
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