Much of the drama was over before the annual USC-UCLA rivalry even kicked off. The game was over just as quickly.

Already leading 7-0 in the first quarter, USC stopped the Bruins on a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line and five plays later, Curtis McNeal scored on a lightning-quick 73-yard run as No. USC embarrassed visiting UCLA 50-0 on Saturday.

Despite losing to USC for the fifth straight time and finishing .500 in the Pac-12, the Bruins earned a berth into the inaugural Pac-12 Conference Championship because of Utah’s loss to Colorado on Friday.

UCLA (6-6, 5-5 Pac-12) will play at Oregon on Friday, but hardly looked deserving Saturday.

USC won for the 12th time in the last 13 games in the series and this one was never close. The Trojans scored touchdowns on their first four possessions and their defense stuffed Derrick Coleman on the 1-yard line on UCLA’s first possession and picked off quarterback Kevin Prince in the end zone later in the first half.

USC, which won its fourth straight game, finished 10-2, 7-2 in the Pac-12 South, but is ineligible to play in the postseason because of NCAA sanctions. The Trojans seemed more focused on playing the role of spoiler and improving quarterback Matt Barkley’s Heisman credentials.

Barkley finished 35-for-42 for 423 yards and tied his own school record with six touchdowns by throwing an NFL-like assortment of touch-passes and lasers.

He threw 52- and 42-yard scoring strikes to Marqise Lee and two other touchdown passes, including a 41-yarder to Robert Woods. Lee caught 13 balls for 224 yards and Woods had a dozen receptions for 113 yards.