As I type this, USC is an 8.5 point underdog for this weeks game at Stanford. I think the line will probably settle around 9 but don't think it will matter. I see a close, "low-scoring" game this week for a couple reasons.
Both teams dropped to (4-1) after losing this week.
Stanford got trounced by Oregon (52-31) after jumping out to an early 21-3 lead. They got beat 28-0 in the second half and seemed outclassed at times by the speedy Ducks and their spread offense.
USC lost to Washington 32-31 at home on a last second field goal as Lane Kiffin saved all three of his time outs to "ice" the kicker instead of trying to get the ball back
I watched a lot of this game and Washington dropped a lot of passes and even lost a TD thanks to Locker fumbling a ball through the end zone. USC is by no means a powerhouse, but I think they are getting a bad rap so far...
When you think of USC right now the first thing that pops into your head is negative thoughts, am I right? The Reggie Bush bullshit, the Sanctions, Lane Kiffin...All these things have people for the most part just ignoring this team.. Nine out of Ten people cant stand Lane Kiffin, and I totally understand why but when you gamble you have to throw your emotions out the window. Kiffin is not as dumb as that blank stare makes him seem. (I know you know what I am talking about, that B1GER1C avatar "look" he has when things aren't going well) I remember last year Kiffin was a BIG underdog with Tenn, something like 20 points, and it seemed like he never once tried to "win" the game. He stuck to his conservative game plan no matter how much he got down, and they ended up easily covering but never once made you think they had a chance to win. Some people probably thought he was an idiot for this, but I gained a little respect for the guy, its almost as if he is thinking years down the road while everyone else is thinking about that day. He knew he was gonna lose that game, but he didnt ask his guys to be something they weren't, they ran the ball and checked it down the whole game until it was over. Say what you want about Lane Kiffin, he has a plan, and you can see it coming together with this USC team. They are going to run the ball, control the clock, and when you least expect it hit you deep down the field off play action. It may not be the sexiest offense, but its the kind of pro-style offense that wins games and keeps games CLOSE. And as a gambler, when a team is getting nine points, all I want them to do is keep it CLOSE!
You're probably saying to yourself, How the hell is the USC defense going to keep it close against the Cardinal when they have been so bad up until now?
I am banking on one thing, Monte Kiffin's defense against a "Pro-Style" offense..I heard a radio guy talking about how Monte Kiffin couldnt Coral the different offenses he has seen in college. Im pretty sure he will know what to do against Stanfords "vanilla" offense. I expect Andrew Luck to struggle this week at times. I think the old man has a few tricks up his sleeve that will confuse the Cardinals offense just enough to give the Trojans a chance to Win this game. Don't forget that one of Stanfords best receivers (Owusu) got his bell rung and you never know how he'll bounce back. Their offense sputtered after he left the game.
So there you have it.. I like the Trojans to cover or maybe even win in a "low" scoring game. Something like 23-20...
King
Both teams dropped to (4-1) after losing this week.
Stanford got trounced by Oregon (52-31) after jumping out to an early 21-3 lead. They got beat 28-0 in the second half and seemed outclassed at times by the speedy Ducks and their spread offense.
USC lost to Washington 32-31 at home on a last second field goal as Lane Kiffin saved all three of his time outs to "ice" the kicker instead of trying to get the ball back
I watched a lot of this game and Washington dropped a lot of passes and even lost a TD thanks to Locker fumbling a ball through the end zone. USC is by no means a powerhouse, but I think they are getting a bad rap so far...When you think of USC right now the first thing that pops into your head is negative thoughts, am I right? The Reggie Bush bullshit, the Sanctions, Lane Kiffin...All these things have people for the most part just ignoring this team.. Nine out of Ten people cant stand Lane Kiffin, and I totally understand why but when you gamble you have to throw your emotions out the window. Kiffin is not as dumb as that blank stare makes him seem. (I know you know what I am talking about, that B1GER1C avatar "look" he has when things aren't going well) I remember last year Kiffin was a BIG underdog with Tenn, something like 20 points, and it seemed like he never once tried to "win" the game. He stuck to his conservative game plan no matter how much he got down, and they ended up easily covering but never once made you think they had a chance to win. Some people probably thought he was an idiot for this, but I gained a little respect for the guy, its almost as if he is thinking years down the road while everyone else is thinking about that day. He knew he was gonna lose that game, but he didnt ask his guys to be something they weren't, they ran the ball and checked it down the whole game until it was over. Say what you want about Lane Kiffin, he has a plan, and you can see it coming together with this USC team. They are going to run the ball, control the clock, and when you least expect it hit you deep down the field off play action. It may not be the sexiest offense, but its the kind of pro-style offense that wins games and keeps games CLOSE. And as a gambler, when a team is getting nine points, all I want them to do is keep it CLOSE!
You're probably saying to yourself, How the hell is the USC defense going to keep it close against the Cardinal when they have been so bad up until now?
I am banking on one thing, Monte Kiffin's defense against a "Pro-Style" offense..I heard a radio guy talking about how Monte Kiffin couldnt Coral the different offenses he has seen in college. Im pretty sure he will know what to do against Stanfords "vanilla" offense. I expect Andrew Luck to struggle this week at times. I think the old man has a few tricks up his sleeve that will confuse the Cardinals offense just enough to give the Trojans a chance to Win this game. Don't forget that one of Stanfords best receivers (Owusu) got his bell rung and you never know how he'll bounce back. Their offense sputtered after he left the game.
So there you have it.. I like the Trojans to cover or maybe even win in a "low" scoring game. Something like 23-20...
King