NCAA Football Odds: USC at Stanford Cardinal
College football fans who enjoy tons of offense will want to tune into ABC's broadcast of the USC, Stanford matchup on Saturday night. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. Eastern, and the first points should be on the board by 8:08 p.m. Andrew Luck and theCardinal enter as 9-10 point NCAAF odds favorites and coming off a loss to Oregon last week while USC comes in after a loss to Washington as the clock expired.
I have no reason to believe USC is going to cover the spread against Stanford. I also have no evidence to suggest Saturday night’s matchup at Stanford Stadium is going to play anything but ‘over’ the total.
In short, expect a shootout when the Trojans (4-1 SU, 2-3 ATS) clash with the No. 16 Cardinal (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ABC).
It’s quite simple, really. Both Southern California and Stanford are among the best offensive teams in the country, while their respective defenses leave something to be desired.
The Trojans rank 13th in total offense (471.6 YPG) coming off their last-second 32-31 loss at home to Washington (+9) last week, and are 15th nationally in rushing (234.4 YPG).
Problem is, Lane Kiffin’s bunch can’t stop anybody, and that doesn’t bode well with his team set to take on the high-powered Cardinal on their home turf.
USC is 100th in total defense (418.8 YPG), and an awful 117th against the pass (288.0 YPG). Is there any scenario under which Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck doesn’t absolutely shred the Trojans’ secondary on Saturday night?
The Cardinal ranks 16th in the country in offense (469.6 YPG), and have done a good job of converting its success in moving the ball into results on the scoreboard. Stanford ranks fifth in scoring with 44.6 points per game.
Overall, Jim Harbaugh’s defense is a more solid group than the one Kiffin is running out there, but the Cardinal has holes that were exposed in the 52-31 loss at Oregon (-6½) last week.
Stanford handles the pass well. The Cardinal ranks 19th at a tidy 163.0 YPG against, but Stanford can be beat – as the Ducks demonstrated – on the ground. Stanford is allowing 169.0 yards rushing per game.
There’s going to be scoring on Saturday night. The total is on the college football betting odds board at 59 or 59½ depending on the shop, but I have no doubt both schools get into the 30s.
The trends back up my assertion. The Cardinal are 8-2 O/U in their last 10 games dating back to last season, while the teams are 11-3 O/U in their last 14 meetings.
As for the spread, the number is on the move after opening with Stanford giving eight points to Southern Cal. The Cardinal were available at -9½ and -10 as of press, and even at that price, I like the favorites.
First off, the Trojans are perennially overvalued in conference play – especially against the number. USC has covered in only three of its last 14 Pac-10 matchups. These are not the Trojans of 2002-08, bettors.
Surely Southern Cal is pumped to return the favor for Stanford’s 55-21 win at Memorial Coliseum last November, but attitude doesn’t make up for a porous defense and a Cardinal team primed for a bounce-back game after last week’s loss in Eugene.
Look, Kiffin will have the Trojans fired up, but the reality is USC fell by 34 points at home to Stanford last season. The Trojans aren’t going to make up enough of the difference to cover the number on the road against an improved Cardinal squad.
Yes, Stanford rode Toby Gerhart against Southern Cal last season, but it still has Luck and new No. 1 back Stepfan Taylor. Luck and the Cardinal offense racked up 518 yards last week against Oregon, so I can only imagine the numbers they’ll be capable of posting against USC.
If there’s a saving grace for Trojans backers it’s that they will be able to run the ball. Allen Bradford finished with 223 yards rushing and two touchdowns last week against the Huskies, and leads the country with 9.8 yards per carry.
Stanford also has injury issues in its receiving corps that could slow it down on Saturday night. WRs Ryan Whalen (elbow) and Chris Owusu (mild concussion) are both questionable for the Cardinal.
College football fans who enjoy tons of offense will want to tune into ABC's broadcast of the USC, Stanford matchup on Saturday night. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. Eastern, and the first points should be on the board by 8:08 p.m. Andrew Luck and theCardinal enter as 9-10 point NCAAF odds favorites and coming off a loss to Oregon last week while USC comes in after a loss to Washington as the clock expired.
I have no reason to believe USC is going to cover the spread against Stanford. I also have no evidence to suggest Saturday night’s matchup at Stanford Stadium is going to play anything but ‘over’ the total.
In short, expect a shootout when the Trojans (4-1 SU, 2-3 ATS) clash with the No. 16 Cardinal (4-1 SU, 3-2 ATS) on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ABC).
It’s quite simple, really. Both Southern California and Stanford are among the best offensive teams in the country, while their respective defenses leave something to be desired.
The Trojans rank 13th in total offense (471.6 YPG) coming off their last-second 32-31 loss at home to Washington (+9) last week, and are 15th nationally in rushing (234.4 YPG).
Problem is, Lane Kiffin’s bunch can’t stop anybody, and that doesn’t bode well with his team set to take on the high-powered Cardinal on their home turf.
USC is 100th in total defense (418.8 YPG), and an awful 117th against the pass (288.0 YPG). Is there any scenario under which Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck doesn’t absolutely shred the Trojans’ secondary on Saturday night?
The Cardinal ranks 16th in the country in offense (469.6 YPG), and have done a good job of converting its success in moving the ball into results on the scoreboard. Stanford ranks fifth in scoring with 44.6 points per game.
Overall, Jim Harbaugh’s defense is a more solid group than the one Kiffin is running out there, but the Cardinal has holes that were exposed in the 52-31 loss at Oregon (-6½) last week.
Stanford handles the pass well. The Cardinal ranks 19th at a tidy 163.0 YPG against, but Stanford can be beat – as the Ducks demonstrated – on the ground. Stanford is allowing 169.0 yards rushing per game.
There’s going to be scoring on Saturday night. The total is on the college football betting odds board at 59 or 59½ depending on the shop, but I have no doubt both schools get into the 30s.
The trends back up my assertion. The Cardinal are 8-2 O/U in their last 10 games dating back to last season, while the teams are 11-3 O/U in their last 14 meetings.
As for the spread, the number is on the move after opening with Stanford giving eight points to Southern Cal. The Cardinal were available at -9½ and -10 as of press, and even at that price, I like the favorites.
First off, the Trojans are perennially overvalued in conference play – especially against the number. USC has covered in only three of its last 14 Pac-10 matchups. These are not the Trojans of 2002-08, bettors.
Surely Southern Cal is pumped to return the favor for Stanford’s 55-21 win at Memorial Coliseum last November, but attitude doesn’t make up for a porous defense and a Cardinal team primed for a bounce-back game after last week’s loss in Eugene.
Look, Kiffin will have the Trojans fired up, but the reality is USC fell by 34 points at home to Stanford last season. The Trojans aren’t going to make up enough of the difference to cover the number on the road against an improved Cardinal squad.
Yes, Stanford rode Toby Gerhart against Southern Cal last season, but it still has Luck and new No. 1 back Stepfan Taylor. Luck and the Cardinal offense racked up 518 yards last week against Oregon, so I can only imagine the numbers they’ll be capable of posting against USC.
If there’s a saving grace for Trojans backers it’s that they will be able to run the ball. Allen Bradford finished with 223 yards rushing and two touchdowns last week against the Huskies, and leads the country with 9.8 yards per carry.
Stanford also has injury issues in its receiving corps that could slow it down on Saturday night. WRs Ryan Whalen (elbow) and Chris Owusu (mild concussion) are both questionable for the Cardinal.