USC at Arizona – College Football Predictions
The Game
The Trojans take the show on the road for the third time in four weeks when they face the Wildcats in Tuscon on Saturday night. USC bagged a yuuuuuuuuge win vs Washington St last week and evened their record at 2-2. Arizona also has a .500 mark after two weeks but needed wins over patsies Southern Utah and Oregon St to get to that point. Can the Cats pull the upset?
The Details
USC -3 Arizona (61)
MEGALOCKS LINE – USC -2.5
“Vegas” Implied Projected Score: USC 32 Arizona 29
The Match-Up:
USC offense vs Arizona defense
This should be welcome relief for the Trojans who have faced the defenses of Stanford, Texas and Washington St (yes, they are pretty good) in recent weeks. QB JT Daniels led the Trojans to an important win vs the Cougars but he still has a pedestrian 4-3 TD to INT ratio and is supported by a shaky offensive line. The committee of RBs is decent and freshman WR Amon-Ra St Brown is developing quickly into a star. Arizona’s defense has been awful giving up tons of yards, forcing no turnovers and getting little PENETRATION. Our observation was that Houston could have scored 130 points on them in week two but the good news is that the USC offense is not that dynamic AND the Cats have a way of finding another gear at home.
Arizona offense vs USC defense
The Cats really got the running game rolling last week when they tallied 442 (!) yards on the ground vs Oregon St. Yes, the Beavers are pretty awful, but the performance of RB JJ Taylor cannot be ignored (stadium record 284 rushing yards) and the run game merges nicely with an underrated WR group. QB Khalil Tate has been a shadow of his former self running the football due to a bum ankle BUT who knows? Could this be a bit of playing possum? Arizona has three WRs with 200+ receiving yards and USC is going to have to PACK A LUNCH and defend the run and pass for four quarters.
Trends, Intangibles and More!
USC has won 9 straight games vs PAC 12 South competition…….Both teams have percolating fiascos as PK (USC – injury, Arizona – incompetence) so just keep that in mind if there are some clutch FGs that need to me made on Saturday night.
Summary
USC goes on the road again and they have just not seemed to perform well on the road over the past couple of seasons. Arizona should have a bit more confidence and spring in their step and are definitely the more dangerous and balanced team on offense. In our view it comes down to the Wildcats’ defense getting a couple key stops and/or turnovers. Ya, we will be up late watching this BAD BOY.
Conclusion
Official play: None yet.
Side: Lean to Arizona +3. Get more interested at +3.5.
Total: No leanage.
Note:
‘Lean’ implies we are comfortable suggesting ‘small potatoes’ on the game. Nothing more. < but always stay tuned for updates >
‘Slight lean’ implies we are almost certain to avoid the game and/or total from a betting standpoint even for ‘small potatoes’. We give an opinion for those who need to get down and want advice.