ROSE BOWL PREVIEW – USC vs PENN ST
USC 7 PENN ST (59)
MEGALOCKS LINE – USC -5 Sagarin ratings – Penn St -1
“Vegas” Implied Projected Score: USC 33 Penn St 26
The Game
WHOA NELLIE ! A classic PAC 12 vs Big 10 match-up. Added bonus ? Both teams are on SUPAH HOT FYRE heading into the game.
Penn St won their last NINE (!) games and just might have been the best team in the Big 10 when the season ended. They finished up as Big 10 CHAMPS and with a fantastic 11-2 record. Job well done. USC also deserves a lot of credit. They struggled early and then rallied to win 8 (!) straight games to end their campaign. They did not make the PAC 12 Title game but everyone knows that they are playing like one of the best teams in college football right now.
Let’s gooooooooo !
The Match-Up
Penn St offense vs USC defense
One of the things that MEGALOCKS INTERGALACTIC SUBSCRIBERS respect is that we admit when we are wrong. We did not think the QB Trace McSorley could do what he did in the 2nd half vs Wisconsin. But he did it. McSorley finished up with 3,360 yards and an amazing 25-5 TD to INT ratio. He is accurate, mobile and tough. The offense has great balance with Saquon Barkley (1,302, 16 TD) at RB and a deep set of receiving options. Six players had more than 340 yards receiving. And we are talking about the Big 10. The WR group is deep and should have a decent day against the USC secondary. TE Mike Gesicki had a fine season and give the Trojans something else to think about.
The Trojans have the #29 ranked defense in the FBS. They are pretty solid all around (#29 rush defense FBS, #38 pass efficiency D). They do not get a lot of PENETRATION and will have to find a way to disrupt McSorley because he has shown the ability to dice you up if given enough time to MATRICULATE down the field.
USC offense vs Penn St defense
QB Sam Darnold was an absolute FORCE for USC down the stretch and was the primary reason that the Trojans won EIGHT straight games to end the season. Darnold finished up with 68% completions and a fantastic 26-8 TD to INT ratio. The Trojans strength is their balance on offense with 1,000-yard rusher RoJo 2.0 (1,027) and a deep group of WR led by Juju Smith-Schuster (781, 9 TD). USC finished off the season scoring 48,45,45,26,36 and 45.
Penn St finished up the campaign ranked #24 in total defense. The most underrated aspect of their team just might be the ability to get PENETRATION (#14 FBS sacks per game, #4 TFL per game). USC did a nice job of keeping the pocket clean so this will be really interesting match-up. They are a little thin at LB and may have trouble containing RoJo 2.0 when he gets a bit of a crease.
Motivation / Intangibles
USC – The last bowl games for USC ? Emerald, Sun, Holiday, Holiday. They will be pumped. Playing in California. GRADE – Excellent.
Penn St – Nothing bad to say. They won the Big 10 Title. Looking to springboard into 2017. GRADE – Very Good.
MEGA BOWL BITES
Penn St HC James Franklin is 3-2 in bowl games….The always popular X FACTOR is this game might be excellent USC return man Adoree’ Jackson who returned two kickoffs AND two punts for TDs this season.
Summary
Both teams are on a roll. We think that Penn St presents a bit of value, but to honest, we have been YUUUUUGE USC fans since early October and just not sure how good they really are due to the filth that they beat up down the stretch (aside from Washington).
Conclusion
Official play: None.
Best play on the game: Penn St +7
Underdog ML playable for small potatoes (Y,N) ?: YES