I was glancing over lines for this weekend. It was quite awkward seeing USC as an underdog... When was the last time they weren't favored? It's probably been 3+ years.
NCAA Week 9
- Thread starter JHaas07
- Start date
I think it was the Orange Bowl Vs OU
Before kickoff I remember taking USC +1 .
The line opened at USC -2.5 I believe.
I've already played USC+3 . I'm looking over the board to find another to tease with USC.
GL this week
Before kickoff I remember taking USC +1 .
The line opened at USC -2.5 I believe.
I've already played USC+3 . I'm looking over the board to find another to tease with USC.
GL this week
Why does everyone like USC here? Oregon is very good, especially at home. Oregon is 6-1 ATS while USC is 3-4.
USC gets up for big games, out of conference, in the PAC 10, their record both SU & ATS is not all that good.
check the Duck's injuries before playing anything. They are pretty beat up.
check the Duck's injuries before playing anything. They are pretty beat up.
Last opening line they were underdogs was the '03 opener at Auburn (+3).
The key to this game is injuries and match-ups. These teams seem to be going in opposite directions in terms of injuries. Oregon has some key skill players injured. SC has been getting alot of players back last week and this week - 6 just returned to practice today supposedly. I'd check out the status of both teams injuries during the week.
As for match-ups, it seems like SC just matches up well with this Oregon team over the past few years. Team speed on D and a really good run defense is the key to stopping Oregon's spread attack and it happens to be SC's strengths. Last year, SC held Oregon to 2.2 yds per rush and they return the basically the same front 7. SC still has banged up corners, but 3 of their top 4 LB's were injured up until last week. They all played some vs ND. If they are healthy, I would expect the Oregon run game to have a tough haul. They also faced a similar O in Seattle a few weeks ago with a banged up D and held them under 200 total yards so they have some recent experience, although against a much weaker opponent.
As for USC, the OL is really decimated (although they might get back 2-3 OL pre-season starters this week) as are the RB's, there is now a controversy at QB and the recievers are still raw. One QB has very little experience, the other one has a bad thumb and a habit of getting rattled under presure and making bad decisions at key moments. Not exactly the best choices for a team going into a hostile envirnoment. As bad as Oregon's D is, there is the potential for a bad day for the USC O. It will all come down to the O Line's health, IMO. So, I think this game might be lower scoring than one would think but I do like SC getting 3.
The key to this game is injuries and match-ups. These teams seem to be going in opposite directions in terms of injuries. Oregon has some key skill players injured. SC has been getting alot of players back last week and this week - 6 just returned to practice today supposedly. I'd check out the status of both teams injuries during the week.
As for match-ups, it seems like SC just matches up well with this Oregon team over the past few years. Team speed on D and a really good run defense is the key to stopping Oregon's spread attack and it happens to be SC's strengths. Last year, SC held Oregon to 2.2 yds per rush and they return the basically the same front 7. SC still has banged up corners, but 3 of their top 4 LB's were injured up until last week. They all played some vs ND. If they are healthy, I would expect the Oregon run game to have a tough haul. They also faced a similar O in Seattle a few weeks ago with a banged up D and held them under 200 total yards so they have some recent experience, although against a much weaker opponent.
As for USC, the OL is really decimated (although they might get back 2-3 OL pre-season starters this week) as are the RB's, there is now a controversy at QB and the recievers are still raw. One QB has very little experience, the other one has a bad thumb and a habit of getting rattled under presure and making bad decisions at key moments. Not exactly the best choices for a team going into a hostile envirnoment. As bad as Oregon's D is, there is the potential for a bad day for the USC O. It will all come down to the O Line's health, IMO. So, I think this game might be lower scoring than one would think but I do like SC getting 3.
