Pac-12 Clash: (16) Utah Utes vs (10) USC Trojans
78% Bet On USC, 75% of Overall Tickets Taking Under
The 16th-ranked Utah Utes (5-1 / 2-1) head to Los Angeles to take the 10th-ranked USC Trojans (6-1 / 4-0) in a match-up of two teams with questions that need to be answered. The Trojans are a 7-point favorite, after opening -5 with a total of 53. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT and can be seen on FOX. We start our Utah vs USC betting preview with a deeper look at the Utes.
Utes Looking To Add To Recent Dominance Over SC
Not too many teams can say that they have beaten the USC Trojans four straight times, but that’s exactly what the Utes are trying to do after keeping USC out of the College Football playoffs in 2022 after a 47-24 beatdown in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Bettors remember that one because the pubic loaded up on USC thinking there was no way the Utes could beat USC twice in the same season, wrong again.
That was then, this is now and Utah knows that without the services of quarterback Cameron Rising (ACL), they’ll need to lean on their defense to carry them to another championship game. In addition to Rising, who has been week to week for some time, star tight end Brant Kuithe has yet to play in 2023.
The wins haven’t been easy for Head Coach Kyle Whittingham, but his team is still 3-1-1 ATS against FBS teams, bringing the program’s ATS record to 51-31 (+16.20 units) since 2016. As a dog in that span, the Utes are 9-5-1 and 7-2 ATS as a road dog according to our College Football betting lines database. We continue our Utah vs USC preview by moving the spotlight to the Trojans.
USC Hope To Rebound After Reality Check Against The Irish
USC has failed to cover four straight games, but their trip to South Bend hurt the most. Until last week, the Trojans were able to overcome their sloppy play with pure talent, that wasn’t the case against Notre Dame who cruised to a 48-20 win as a 3-point home favorite.
Despite the loss, USC still has one of the most dangerous offenses in all of College Football, averaging 47.3 points per game, but it’s their defense that was exposed against the Irish.This isn’t a new discovery. We knew Lincoln Riley’s team would not match up well against the better teams in the land, something we may have had a preview of in the previous two weeks when USC allowed 82 points combined against Colorado and Arizona.
For bettors, the Trojans have always been overrated when it comes to the number, failing to cover 54 of their last 98 games or 45% (-12.65 units). Most of that damage has been done when USC is a road favorite (17-24 ATS), but they haven’t been good against Utah, failing to cover 7 of their last 13 meetings.
This is one of the better match-ups on this week’s scores and odds sheet, let’s conclude our Utah vs USC preview with our official selection.
No Need To Go Against Trend
We are fully aware of Utah’s offense’s inability to impress, but defense wins games or at least keeps them close and that’s what we’re counting on here. Last week we saw Riley’s team turn the ball over five times to support of defense that gives up 30 points a game.
We don’t think the Utes will get to the 30 mark but they clearly have the better defense and will use that defense and their running game to grind out a cover and a NCAAF rankings boost if they can manage an outright win against USC. Take Utah plus the points.
That concludes our Utah vs USC betting preview, we wish you all the bets with your wagers this weekend.
For Utah vs USC analysis and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
