Here's what my crack staff, ME, concluded was the best way to go in Thursday night's Pac-12 Tussle:
The USC Trojans (4-1, 2-3 ATS) will look to continue their dominance of the Cal Golden Bears (3-2, 2-3 ATS) when the Pac-12 rivals meet up under the Thursday night lights on October 13th; kick-off from AT&T Park is set for 9:00 ET on ESPN and ESPN3.com.
NCAA Football Betting Odds
USC Trojans (-3) -110
California Golden Bears (+3) -110
Over/Under 58
USC went into its bye after Week 5 off a 48-41 home win and non-cover against the Arizona Wildcats to move to 2-1 SU in conference play. The 48 points accumulated by the Trojans was the most on the year, but the 41 given up was also the most tallied against them as well. Most troubling for head coach Lane Kiffin?s squad was the fact that the defense was torched to the tune of 554 total yards with 425 of those yards coming from the passing arm of Wildcats QB Nick Foles. The Trojans pass defense currently ranks 97th out of 120 FBS teams giving up 267.2 YPG. Cal?s strong suit offensively has been through the air, so it will be interesting to see how this unit stacks up on the road.
While the Trojans struggle defending opposing passing games, one thing they can do successfully is throw the pigskin. That?s because they have QB Matt Barkley under center who?s completed 70.7 percent of his passes and thrown for 1587 yards and 14 TDs to just four INTs. He tossed for a season high 468 yards and four TDs in the Trojans seven-point win over the Wildcats the last time he stepped foot on the gridiron. He should have himself another dandy of a game on Thursday night since the Golden Bears have given up an average of 228.4 YPG (#74) in their five college football betting odds match-ups to date.
California played on extended rest last Thursday night when it went into Eugene to battle the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Everything went according to plan throughout the first 30 minutes of game action, as head coach Jeff Tedford?s kids limited the Ducks potent offensive attack and held a 15-14 lead. Unfortunately for the Golden Bears, Oregon flipped the switch at the break and went on to outscore them 29-0 the rest of the way to ultimately fall by a 43-15 final tally. Cal had numerous opportunities to bring in the money for their supporters, but came up short when it was all said and done.
The loss dropped Cal to 1-2 SU against conference opposition with the lone win coming in the form of a 36-33 OT victory as six-point road favorites at Colorado. The two victories earned by the Bears have come against the aforementioned Buffaloes as well the Fresno State Bulldogs; not the greatest of wins to brag about. QB Zach Maynard needs to grow as the leader of this offense. He has the tools evidenced by the 1291 yards and 11 TDs he?s thrown for this season, but he?s shriveled up into a worthless puddle of goo when it?s mattered most in each of the Golden Bears last two conference battles.
College Football Odds Prediction ? This is an enormous game for the Cal Program. USC has demolished the Golden Bears each of the last two seasons by the aggregate score of 78-17. Whether they can put an end to their seven-game losing streak in the recent series remains to be seen, but what we do know is that points will be scored in bunches with both defenses hardly getting in the way of the opposition to date. The ?over? is 12-4 the L/16 times the Trojans were installed road chalk in the 3.5-10 point range, and 4-1 in the Bears L/5 Thursday night games with the lone ?under? coming in last week after the offense fell off the map in the second half. Look for another high scorer Thursday night!
Good luck with whatever way you choose to go in this one! :toast:
The USC Trojans (4-1, 2-3 ATS) will look to continue their dominance of the Cal Golden Bears (3-2, 2-3 ATS) when the Pac-12 rivals meet up under the Thursday night lights on October 13th; kick-off from AT&T Park is set for 9:00 ET on ESPN and ESPN3.com.
NCAA Football Betting Odds
USC Trojans (-3) -110
California Golden Bears (+3) -110
Over/Under 58
USC went into its bye after Week 5 off a 48-41 home win and non-cover against the Arizona Wildcats to move to 2-1 SU in conference play. The 48 points accumulated by the Trojans was the most on the year, but the 41 given up was also the most tallied against them as well. Most troubling for head coach Lane Kiffin?s squad was the fact that the defense was torched to the tune of 554 total yards with 425 of those yards coming from the passing arm of Wildcats QB Nick Foles. The Trojans pass defense currently ranks 97th out of 120 FBS teams giving up 267.2 YPG. Cal?s strong suit offensively has been through the air, so it will be interesting to see how this unit stacks up on the road.
While the Trojans struggle defending opposing passing games, one thing they can do successfully is throw the pigskin. That?s because they have QB Matt Barkley under center who?s completed 70.7 percent of his passes and thrown for 1587 yards and 14 TDs to just four INTs. He tossed for a season high 468 yards and four TDs in the Trojans seven-point win over the Wildcats the last time he stepped foot on the gridiron. He should have himself another dandy of a game on Thursday night since the Golden Bears have given up an average of 228.4 YPG (#74) in their five college football betting odds match-ups to date.
California played on extended rest last Thursday night when it went into Eugene to battle the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Everything went according to plan throughout the first 30 minutes of game action, as head coach Jeff Tedford?s kids limited the Ducks potent offensive attack and held a 15-14 lead. Unfortunately for the Golden Bears, Oregon flipped the switch at the break and went on to outscore them 29-0 the rest of the way to ultimately fall by a 43-15 final tally. Cal had numerous opportunities to bring in the money for their supporters, but came up short when it was all said and done.
The loss dropped Cal to 1-2 SU against conference opposition with the lone win coming in the form of a 36-33 OT victory as six-point road favorites at Colorado. The two victories earned by the Bears have come against the aforementioned Buffaloes as well the Fresno State Bulldogs; not the greatest of wins to brag about. QB Zach Maynard needs to grow as the leader of this offense. He has the tools evidenced by the 1291 yards and 11 TDs he?s thrown for this season, but he?s shriveled up into a worthless puddle of goo when it?s mattered most in each of the Golden Bears last two conference battles.
College Football Odds Prediction ? This is an enormous game for the Cal Program. USC has demolished the Golden Bears each of the last two seasons by the aggregate score of 78-17. Whether they can put an end to their seven-game losing streak in the recent series remains to be seen, but what we do know is that points will be scored in bunches with both defenses hardly getting in the way of the opposition to date. The ?over? is 12-4 the L/16 times the Trojans were installed road chalk in the 3.5-10 point range, and 4-1 in the Bears L/5 Thursday night games with the lone ?under? coming in last week after the offense fell off the map in the second half. Look for another high scorer Thursday night!
Good luck with whatever way you choose to go in this one! :toast:
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