Recap: USC, UCLA college football chat

Times UCLA writer Chris Foster, USC writer Gary Klein and national college football columnist Chris Dufresne gave an update on the season in a live Google+ Hangout today. Their chats are featured on the Sports Now blog each Thursday, usually at 11:30 a.m., if you want to catch them live.

Among the topics covered:

--The panel addresses, in a lively debate, the Trojans switching players’ numbers during a game against Colorado to gain an advantage on special teams and possibly to try to confuse upcoming opponents.

--Klein discusses USC’s conversion attempts after touchdowns and how the Coliseum crowd often groans when the Trojans line up in a formation that could lead to a two-point attempt.

--Dufresne takes a look at the Notre Dame-Oklahoma game, calling the Irish an SEC team ‘light’ with plenty of defense and not so much offense. He predicts the Sooners, who trail, 8-1, in the series, will win the game.

--Speaking of the SEC, Florida plays South Carolina with a chance to clinch the East Division title. The Gators, ranked No. 2 in the BCS standings, likely will meet No. 1 Alabama in the conference title game. Could an SEC rematch in the BCS final occur?

--Foster talks about how the bye week helped UCLA prepare for a two-game run against Arizona State on Saturday and Arizona the following week. The Bruins’ offensive line has two injury-free tackles for the first time in a while and the team is poised to make a run at bowl eligibility and possibly more with a couple of wins.

--Klein discusses USC’s game against Arizona, which has a potent offense that should test the Trojans’ defense. Previously viewed simply as a trap game since USC has Oregon the following week, the Wildcats could be a formidable obstacle for the Trojans.

If you have a question for Foster, Klein or Dufresne next week, send it in an email to sportshangout@latimes.com and we will try to answer it on the air.