Stanford vs USC NCAA Football Odds Preview

The 24th-ranked USC Trojans will look to pull off the college football betting upset over Stanford to both, win the 2015 Pac-12 Championship and bring an abrupt halt to the Cardinal’s four-team College Football Playoff hopes when the longtime rivals square off at Levi’s Stadium in Saturday. Now, let’s find out if the Trojans can bring home the bacon against their playoff-hopeful rivals.

How To Bet The Cardinal vs. Trojans NCAA Football Odds & Game Info

When: Saturday, December 5, 7:45 PM ET Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California NCAAF Odds: Stanford -4 Over/Under: 61

USC makes right coaching decision with Clay Helton (by @Lindsay_Schnell) https://t.co/jvugqmoQNu pic.twitter.com/dVM0IbMoKg

— SI College Football (@si_ncaafb) November 30, 2015

Betting on the USC Trojans (8-4 SU, 6-6 ATS)

Southern Cal took out conference rival UCLA 40-21 on Saturday to win the Pac-12 South and cash in as a 3-point home favorite just as I predicted, thanks to two touchdown passes from Cody Kessler and 130 rushing yards from running back Justin Davis. “I cannot tell you how proud I am of this group of men, specifically the seniors and the team as a whole,” Helton said. “I think about the seniors and the rollercoaster ride they have gone through. For them to call themselves Pac-12 South champions is a victory.” A win over the Cardinal would put the Trojans in the New Year’s Day Rose Bowl for the first time since 2009. “I cannot tell you how proud I am of this group of men, specifically the seniors and the team as a whole,” Helton said. “I think about the seniors and the rollercoaster ride they have gone through. For them to call themselves Pac-12 South champions is a victory.”

Betting on the Stanford Cardinal (10-2 SU, 8-4 ATS)

Stanford squeaked past Notre Dame 38-36 on Saturday despite failing to cover the spread as a 4-point home favorite as quarterback Kevin Hogan completed 17 of 21 passes for 269 yards and four touchdowns to lead the charge. “This meant the world to me,” said Hogan, a fifth-year senior who completed 17 of 21 passes for 269 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions and the last-minute game-winning drive in his final home game. “Going to Notre Dame games as a kid, being a fan. I couldn’t have pictured it any better.” Running back Christian McCaffrey added 94 rushing yards on 27 carries and 19 yards on three catches while three receivers added solo touchdown grabs in the win. Stanford was lifted to victory on kicker Conrad Ukropina’s 45-yard-filed goal one the game’s final play. Ironically, Stanford’s steady kicker predicted the outcome as the game was playing out. “With about a minute and half left, I was talking to our punter, and I said, ‘Dude, I’m calling it right now,” Ukropina said. “They’re going to score, and we’re going to get the ball back with 30 seconds left and win.’

My Expert Stanford vs USC Game Analysis and Betting Pick

59 percent of the betting public likes Stanford to win and cover the spread and to be honest about it…I’m a bit surprised that the figure isn’t higher. You see, while both of these teams can score the ball consistently, it is Stanford that has the far better defense – even if their points allowed total isn’t very far off of USC’s. USC has lost four of its last 10 games while giving up at least 41 points in three of those losses, including their humbling 48-28 smackdown at the hands of Oregon on Nov. 21. Stanford, on the other hand, would be a perfect 10-0 over their last 10 games were it not for their 38-36 heartbreaker of a loss against the aforementioned Oregon Ducks. Still, the Cardinal have held three of their last 10 opponents to 17 points or less while scoring at least 35 points in each of their last five games. While USC has managed to score 30 or more just six times in their last 10 games, two of those games were losses, not to mention the fact that the Trojans were held to just 12 points in a dismal home loss against Washington on Nov. 8. Stanford has gone 6-0 ATS in their last six games in the moth of December, a near perfect 5-1 ATS in their last six neutral site games and a bankroll-boosting 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games overall. Conversely, USC has gone 8-23 ATS in their last 31 games following an SU win and just 2-6 ATS in their last eight games following an ATS win. Cementing this pick for Stanford is the fact that the Cardinal are 5-1 ATS in their last six road dates against Southern California. My Betting Pick: Stanford 35 USC 28