Early USC vs. Illinois Prediction, Odds & Picks: College Football Week 5
With Bret Bielema's program coming off a 53-point loss to Indiana, my early USC vs. Illinois prediction is backing the Trojans as part of my college football picks.
USC enters as a 6.5-point betting favorite on the road for Saturday's noon ET (FOX) kickoff from Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill., in one of four top 25 matchups covered in our college football predictions for Week 5.
USC vs. Illinois prediction & best bet
Stay ahead with the rest of our early college football predictions.
USC -6.5 (-106) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
After what happened to Illinois in Week 4, I'm not sure how anyone can have any confidence backing the Fighting Illini against USC. Bielema's team was viewed as a College Football Playoff odds contender, and had even been tagged as this year's Indiana ... then the Hoosiers beat them 63-10 like they were a mid-major dealing with a pissed off Bob Knight.
Somehow, we live in a world where Illinois was overrated and USC, of all programs, is underrated. The Trojans have beaten two straight Big Ten opponents by double digits and have the No. 4-ranked offense by SP+. That's thanks to a loaded Lincoln Riley offense being piloted by Jayden Maiava - he's No. 1 in the country in QBR (95.5) and an interesting Heisman Trophy odds bet in his first full season as the starter.
With USC having a plethora of weapons - Makai Lemon, Waymond Jordan, Eli Sanders - and Illinois slipping to No. 37 in SP+ on defense, I don't see how the Illini keep up. I'd bet USC now while they're still just a 6.5-point favorite, with a $10 bet paying a $9.43 profit at FanDuel.
USC vs. Illinois odds: Week 5
College football odds update live in real time.
USC vs. Illinois opening odds
- Moneyline: USC -222| Illinois +180
- Spread: USC -6.5 (-110) | Illinois +6.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: Over 59.5 (-110) | Under 59.5 (-110)
USC vs. Illinois odds analysis
Following USC's late-night win over Michigan State in Week 4, the Trojans opened as a 6.5-point betting favorite over Illinois. The odds haven't seen much movement across our best college football betting sites, which is why I'm all over USC at -6.5. Given that the Illini are coming off a 53-point loss, I expect the public to heavily back the Trojans - so far, 65% of bettors are taking USC to cover.
So while I recommend betting Maiava and Co. now before they become more than a touchdown favorite, I would take USC to cover by as many as eight points.
USC vs. Illinois game info
- When: Saturday, Sept. 27
- Kickoff: Noon ET
- Where: Memorial Stadium (Champaign, Ill.)
- How to watch: FOX
USC vs. Illinois FAQs
Who is favored to win USC vs. Illinois?
USC is a -220 moneyline favorite on the road, implying a 68.75% probability the Trojans will win. Illinois is a +196 moneyline underdog at home, implying a 33.78% probability the Fighting Illini will win.
What are the opening odds for USC vs. Illinois?
USC opened as a 6.5-point betting favorite on the road against Illinois. The Over/Under for USC vs. Illinois opened between 59.5 and 60.5.
How to watch USC vs. Illinois
USC vs. Illinois will be played Saturday, Sept. 27, at noon ET, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill.
How do college football odds work?
When betting on college football odds, the point spread shows how many points the favorite needs to win by in order to cash the bet. For example, a favorite of -3 must win by more than 3 points to cover the spread, while an underdog at +3 must win outright or lose by fewer than 3 points to cover the spread.
Moneyline odds represent the payout for picking the outright winner (+200 means a $100 bet wins $200, while -200 means a $200 bet wins $100). Over/Unders let you wager on whether the combined total will be higher or lower than the set number.
You can determine the payouts and implied probabilities for any wager - or convert odds to different formats - with our odds converter.
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