Thursday preview: Cal eyes bowl eligibility vs. USC

Paste BN Sports' Eddie Timanus breaks down Thursday night's three Division I games:

California (5-4) at Southern California (6-3)

Time/TV: 9 p.m. ET/ESPN. Surface: Grass.

Line: USC by 14½. Sagarin difference: USC by 14.77.

Synopsis: That the Golden Bears are within a win of bowl eligibility represents a huge step forward for the program under second-year coach Sonny Dykes after last season's 1-11 campaign. Getting that sixth win might not be easy tonight, but Cal will bring the nation's fourth-ranked passing offense into the Coliseum. The Golden Bears average 361 yards a game by air, mainly with QB Jared Goff at the controls. RB Daniel Lasco had a big game on the ground in Cal's most recent victory at Oregon State, but the USC secondary that has shown leaks at times this year figures to be the focal point for the Bears' attack. The Trojans, of course, wouldn't mind too much if the contest becomes a shootout. QB Cody Kessler, WR Nelson Agholor and RB Javorius Allen should be able to produce against the Cal defense that has not been the team's stronger unit.

East Carolina (6-2) at Cincinnati (5-3)

Time/TV: 7 p.m. ET/ESPN2. Surface: Artificial.

Line: East Carolina by 2½. Sagarin difference: Cincinnati by 4.38.

Synopsis: The American Athletic Conference became a free-for-all in the blink of an eye 12 days ago, when East Carolina was losing to Temple at roughly the same time as Central Florida was coming up short against Connecticut. That was good news for the Bearcats, who are now among four teams with only one league loss thus far. Either Cincinnati or East Carolina will pick up a second tonight, so there's plenty on the line even though the major bowl slot for the highest-rated champion of the group of five is now a long-shot proposition. Cincinnati hit an early slump but has won three in a row entering tonight's contest. Starting QB Gunner Kiel, who has battled injuries, is healthy but is still likely to split reps with veteran Munchie Legaux, who played well in the Bearcats' Halloween win at Tulane. TBs Rod Moore and Mike Boone will also platoon for the Bearcats, meaning LB Zeek Bigger and the Pirates' run stoppers must handle fresh legs for most of the night. QB Shane Carden and ECU's pass-first attack didn't handle the elements well in their loss in Philadelphia. WRs Justin Hardy and Isaiah Jones are always a threat to take one the distance, but the Pirates need Breon Allen to find room to run in case the aerial game isn't connecting. Cincinnati S Zach Edwards is likely to be busy.

Southern Mississippi (3-7) at Texas-San Antonio (2-7)

Time/TV: 8 p.m. ET/CBS Sports Net. Surface: Artificial.

Line: UTSA by 9. Sagarin difference: UTSA by 4.65.

Synopsis: What began as a promising season for UTSA with a win at Houston and a competitive lost to Arizona has taken a downturn. The Roadrunners have managed only one win in Conference USA play and are battling the rebuilding Golden Eagles to stay out of the league cellar. UTSA QBs Tucker Carter and Austin Robinson have been sharing snaps of late hoping to spark the struggling offense. Southern Miss has faced a challenging slate that included Mississippi State and Alabama in addition to a pounding by undefeated Marshall in its last outing. It hasn't helped that QB Nick Mullens has missed the last couple of games with a foot injury. He is expected to play, but backup Cole Weeks must be ready just in case.

Follow Eddie Timanus on Twitter @EddieTimanus.

Lines furnished by Glantz-Culver. Jeff Sagarin's power ratings show the relative strength of teams; 3.15 points were added to the home team's rating to calculate the difference.