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USC is the most bet on of the college football teams coming into this weekend. Despite having odds of -11 (up from -9 ½), betting on Southern California is still occurring at an 80 percent or higher clip and the online bookmakers at establishments like SBG Global will witness a huge loss on this game if it goes in USC's favor.
Well guess what folks. Gambling911.com believes the line on this one should be set at USC -14. It would not surprise us to see odds of -12 by the time this game rolls around Saturday evening (8 pm EST). Already we are finding a few -11 ½'s scattered about.
Really this one is all about the Ohio Buckeyes defense vs. the USC Trojans offense.
From AroundTheOval.com:
This is probably the battle of question marks. We know what to expect from the Buckeye defensive ends: great pass pressure, decent run stopping. But what about the defensive tackles? I don't think they struck anyone as being better than average last season, and in two games this season, they don't seem to have improved. Are they better?
USC is facing questions of its own on the offensive line. LG Jeff Byers is the only returning starter, though C Kristofer O'Dowd saw plenty of time last season. This being USC, there is plenty of talent to choose from, but not a lot of experience, and many of the players have battled injuries off and on. Consensus on them seems to be "athletic, but inexperienced." They looked fine against Virgina, giving Mark Sanchez all day to throw and racking up 218 yards of rushing. However, that was Virginia, who is not exactly good. The Buckeyes will represent a significant step up in competition.
I think that the OSU defensive line has both the best and the worst in this matchup. The Buckeye defensive ends are strong enough and fast enough to cause problems for the Trojans, and there's enough depth for them to do it the entire game. However, I have no reason to believe the defensive tackles can hold their own up the middle. They have their moments, but they don't generate much of a push in the passing game, and teams seem to be able to run right at them. And I gotta say, I think USC's advantage in the middle is larger than the Buckeyes' advantage on the edges.
We think it is Austin Murphy of Sports Illustrated that sums up his theory for the -11 point or higher spread in favor of USC:
I guess it makes sense that USC is favored by 11 over Ohio State. The Trojans will be at home, the Coliseum off the hook. Mascot-wise, Traveler has the edge on Brutus Buckeye.
And while the Trojans overwhelmed Virginia in their sole outing this season, the Buckeyes were underwhelming against a second-level MAC squad being led by its second-string quarterback last week. Trojans quarterback Mark Sanchez looked dangerous, mobile and very much at ease against the Wahoos. And there seems to be some question now -- raised by a certain sweater-vested sphinx, so take it for what it's worth -- whether Beanie Wells will even get on the field.
The makers of these odds have clearly taken the "Stun Factor" into consideration. That's my coinage for the strange spell that settles on USC's early-season, non-conference opponents. It explains why quality teams with terrific athletes come into these September epics looking to make a statement, but end up looking like dynamited fish, belly-up and wondering what concussive force just rocked their world in yet another Trojans rout.
SBG Global was expecting this to be among the top 5 most bet on games of the weekend including NFL action.---
Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
