Written by :
Published on :
Carrie Stroup here with your USC vs. Stanford spread that had the Trojans as a -9 point favorite. Open your online betting account at Sportsbook.com here and claim up to $250 in FREE CASH.
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: USC -9 (-105) & 57
Opening Line & Total: Trojans -9 & 56
No. 2 USC looks to snap a rare series losing streak to No. 21 Stanford when the Pac-12 rivals meet Saturday night at Stanford Stadium.
The Cardinal are seeking their fourth straight win over USC, including a 56-48 triple overtime victory over the Trojans last year. USC QB Matt Barkley threw for 284 yards and 3 TD in that loss, which is nothing compared to his six touchdown passes in last week’s 42-29 win over Syracuse, giving him 10 TD throws on the year, four each to WRs Robert Woods and Marqise Lee. Stanford responded from a weak 3-point win over San Jose State in Week 1 by thumping Duke 50-13 last week, as Josh Nunes threw for 275 yards and 3 TD. Stanford is not a team that has let down after a blowout victory, going 10-0 ATS in the past three seasons following a win by 28+ points. The Cardinal also can look to the fact that home underdogs of 3½ to 10 points, coming off a winning season, are 39-13 ATS (75%) in the past 10 years. USC will likely get that victory to end the losing skid in this series, but this should be another tight game that is decided by a touchdown or less.
Receive up to $250 in FREE CASH when you join Sportsbook.com here today
In addition to his gaudy numbers against the Cardinal last year, Barkley had a monster game at Stanford in 2010, completing 28-of-45 passes for 390 yards, 3 TD and 0 INT. Woods has been the main beneficiary of Barkley’s past two performances, catching 21 passes for 313 yards and four touchdowns in the two games. Lee currently ranks among the top-five players in the nation in both receptions (21) and receiving yards (263), and he caught seven passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in the triple-OT classic in 2011. The Trojans are no longer a one-dimensional offense as Penn State transfer Silas Redd has galloped for 163 yards on 24 carries (6.8 YPC) in his first two games in a USC uniform. On the defensive side of the ball, the Trojans are very capable of applying heavy pressure on Nunes, having already amassed seven sacks and 19 Tackles For Loss. The defense has allowed 265 passing YPG (84th in FBS), but to be fair, both Hawaii and Syracuse are pass-happy offenses that threw a combined 85 attempts in the two games.
Nunes has big shoes to fill with the departure No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Andrew Luck, but Nunes has been solid so far with 400 passing yards, 4 TD and 1 INT in two games. Four different receivers have at least 70 yards through the air, but none have surpassed 90 receiving yards, showing Nunes’ ability to survey his options. His best option though, is handing the ball off to Stepfan Taylor, who has rushed for 203 yards (4.4 YPC) and three touchdowns in the past two meetings with USC. For the season, Taylor has 214 total yards and two scores. The defense must be having nightmares on how to slow down the Trojans’ potent air attack. Stanford allowed 363 passing yards to Duke last week, although the Blue Devils did throw 63 times without scoring a receiving touchdown. The run defense (54 YPC, 10th in nation) should be OK though. During the three-game win streak over USC, the Cardinal have allowed the Trojans to gain a pedestrian 131 rushing yards per game on 5.1 YPC.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
