Good morning. It’s Friday, and I’m stoked for the USC-Michigan showdown tomorrow. Catch it at 12:30 p.m. on CBS. Onto the five USC, Los Angeles, and California stories you need to know for today.

Complete this survey for a chance to win Morning, Trojan laptop stickers.

1.

Cops detained a student at McMorrow Residential Hall who was holding a replica handgun Wednesday night. Big Brother DPS, apparently, remotely spotted the student using its extensive network of surveillance cameras. Images from the scene are wild.

Kate Stuzin / Annenberg Media

2.

The LA City Council green lit USC’s plan to build a new seven-story research center on the Health Sciences Campus — rejecting an appeal from activists who said it’d accelerate gentrification. The project is expected to cost some $315 million.

Steven Sharp / Urbanize Los Angeles

3.

Students are miffed that a handful of USC’s libraries are closing earlier this semester. Doheney, for instance, now shuts its doors at 8 p.m. rather than 10 p.m. USC Libraries said it changed its operating hours after “assessing usage patterns.”

Cormac Cadden and April Aguilera / Annenberg Media

4.

A Compton Rite Aid had a draconian response to incessant shoplifting: putting almost every single item behind locked plexiglass. Footage from the store shows precious Doritos and Tostitos queso blanco dip safe and sound in their transparent vaults.

Tony Kurzweil / KTLA

5.

The makers of the Squishmallow plush toy are waging an all-out turf war against Build-A-Bear in a California court. The company — which apparently doesn’t appreciate competition in the snuggly stuffie market — alleges that Build-A-Bear is stealing its intellectual property.

Corinne Ramey / The Wall Street Journal