#14 Utah @ #18 USC Odds and Prediction Week 8

The college football game of the week in Week 8 around the loaded Pac-12 features No. 14 Utah at No. 18 USC, which comes off a non-conference loss to Notre Dame that severely hurt QB Caleb Williams’ chances of repeating as the Heisman Trophy winner. | 2023 NCAAF Expert Analysis #14 Utah vs. #18 USC | MyBookie Sportsbook | : Tuesday, October 17 to Saturday, October 21, 2023

How to Bet Utah at USC NCAA Football Odds & TV Info

When: Saturday, 8 PM ET
Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
TV: FOX
Stream: Fox Sports Live app
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAF Lines: USC -7 (total 56)

Last Season

In 2022, Utah was 2-0 vs. USC. It beat the Trojans 43-42 in the regular season in Salt Lake City. Utes QB Cam Rising threw for 415 yards, ran for three touchdowns and scampered up the middle for a go-ahead two-point conversion with 48 seconds left. Caleb Williams threw for 381 yards and five touchdowns for Southern California. They met again in the Pac-12 title game and Utah won again, 47-24. Rising, the Pac-12 Championship Game MVP, finished the game 22-of-34 passing for 310 yards and three touchdowns. USC led 17-3 early. The Trojans lead the all-time series 12-9.

Why Bet on Utah?

Utah (5-1) beat Cal 34-14 on Saturday. Utah produced a season-high 445 yards on offense, holding Cal to just 254, including 66 rushing yards to mark the fourth time this season Utah has held its opponent to under 100 yards rushing. Utah’s 445 yards on offense included a season-high 317 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns with the Utes holding the ball for 37:53 of the game compared to California’s 22:07.

Utes safety Sione Vaki played both ways, recording a career-high 15 carries for 158 yards and two rushing touchdowns. It was the most rushing yards in a game by a Utah defensive back since at least 1996 with the last defensive back scoring a rushing touchdown in a game being Eric Weddle in 2006. Vaki’s day included the longest rush by a Utah defensive back since at least 1996, surpassing a 30-yard run by Sean Smith in 2006 vs. Colorado State. Entering this weekend, the longest rush in FBS football by a defensive back this season was by Rutgers‘ Al-Shadee Salaam (18 yards).

Running back Ja’Quinden Jackson also put up 94 rushing yards on 22 carries, scoring his first touchdown of the season. Bryson Barnes earned the start at quarterback, finishing the game 15-of-21 for 128 yards, targeting freshman wide receiver Mikey Matthews seven times with Matthews catching each one.

Utah has won 18 consecutive games inside Rice-Eccles Stadium (since Dec. 5, 2020) and holds a 116-36 record at home since the facility opened in 1998. It includes wins in 29 of Utah’s last 30 home games. The 18-game home winning streak is the second-longest for the Utes under head coach Kyle Whittingham, short of only 21 straight between Sept. 15, 2007 and Oct. 23, 2010.

After allowing two third-down conversions on Cal’s three attempts in the first quarter, the Utah defense held the Golden Bears to a 2-of-9 line over the final three quarters of play. Utah had five sacks in the game; it is the third time this season the Utes have had at least five sacks in a game this season. Including Cal, the Utah defense has held four opponents under 100 rushing yards; two opponents under 200 passing yards; and three opponents under 300 total yards of offense.

Whittingham revealed in his post-game press conference that the Utes are already working to appeal a targeting call on safety Cole Bishop. The controversial call came toward the end of the game, meaning Bishop will have to also miss the first half of this game against USC unless it’s overturned.

“We are appealing it- it’s already in motion,” Whittingham said. “I have to look at it on tape, but I did see it on the board and I don’t know. I just got to look at it again. It was a call that was, uh, interesting. We’ll see what comes of it. I don’t know if there has ever been one turned over- we haven’t had one overturned. We’ll see, but we are taking the steps to at least get some more clarification on it. Why? Why was it targeting?”

To beat the Trojans, the Utes will need to play even better than they did against the Bears by avoiding costly defensive penalties and mixing more passes into their offensive plans.

Bet Utah Utes to Win
MyBookie Betting Lines for NCAAF

Why Bet on USC?

Southern Cal (6-1) was dominated 48-20 in a loss at No. 21 Notre Dame on Saturday and the chances Trojans QB Caleb Williams had of repeating as Heisman winner went up in smoke. Williams had only been intercepted once entering the game but was picked three times and sacked four times by the Fighting Irish and finished with 199 yards passing and a TD. His hopes of becoming just the second two-time Heisman winner along with Ohio State‘s Archie Griffin took a hit.

Although USC’s defense continued to be the Trojan’s Achilles heel, Williams was pressured and hurried constantly and wasn’t able to utilize his elusiveness and fancy footwork with the same frequency that earned him Heisman honors last season. The Trojans will face the most difficult schedule in the FBS in the coming weeks, with games against four ranked opponents.

“I made mistakes tonight that I usually don’t make,” Williams said postgame. “I’ve been in college for three years now and don’t think I’ve ever had a season or game or anything like that.”

In 2022, Williams had plenty of time to dissect defenses in and out of the pocket behind an experienced line. This year, after key departures in center Brett Neilon and guard Andrew Vorhees, the Trojans’ offensive line has devolved from a relative strength to a question mark, at best.

Each of Williams’ three interceptions led to an Irish score, which put the Trojans in a hole they never climbed out of. When Notre Dame drives were starting at the USC 12-yard line, the USC 2-yard line and the 50-yard line, the defense — even on its best day — had little to no chance. Take away those 21 points off turnovers, and the much-maligned unit under defensive coordinator Alex Grinch surrendered only three points in the first half.

Along with giving up defensive and special teams touchdowns, the No. 10 Trojans had their second-lowest scoring performance of the Lincoln Riley era, trailing only a 17-point stinker at Oregon State last year. Averaging 51.8 points per game, USC ended up with five turnovers and was limited to 92 yards rushing. The Fighting Irish racked up 11 tackles for loss.

Star freshman receiver/returner Zachariah Branch returned after missing a few games injured. Even with Branch’s return, USC played it conservative with his usage in the first quarter on Saturday, the receiver doing band-work on his right leg with strength coach Bennie Wylie in warm-ups. He started the game at kick returner but didn’t play a major role on offense until USC’s third drive late in the first quarter.

In the second, though, he seemingly eradicated all doubt as to his health — taking a handoff on a 2nd-and-20 and springing up the middle, cutting back in succession for a 17-yard gain.

Bet USC Trojans to Win
MyBookie Betting Lines for NCAAF

NCAAF Expert Prediction

USC 30, Utah 24

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