California vs USC College Football Odds Preview

Posted by Alex Murphy on Friday,October 30, 2015 2:43, EDT in

In one of the hottest Pac-12 games this Saturday, the California Golden Bears will be hosting the USC Trojans for a showdown between the two California-based teams. Northern Division’s California (5-2, 2-2 Pac-12) are reeling off two losses in their last two games and are hoping that they can bounce back to winning ways in the NCAA Football betting lines when they take on Southern Division’s USC (4-3, 2-2 Pac-12) that is looking to get back into the top-25 national rankings, having delivered a resounding win over the then No. 3-rated Utah Utes, who entered the game as Pac-12’s lone unbeaten team. Both teams are placed fourth in their respective divisions, so a win will be crucial in boosting their chances of climbing higher in the standings. Bearing their rivalry in mind, and the need to improve, here are a few online betting insights to help you know how to place your bets on this enticing college football betting clash.

How To Bet the Golden Bears vs Trojans NCAA Football Odds, TV & Game Info

Venue: California Memorial Stadium
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2015
Time: 3:00 pm
TV: FOX

Betting on California Golden Bears

Entering this game, California has not beaten USC since September 27th, 2003 in overtime, a record that stretches to 11 games. Making matters worse, the Bears are coming into this game in the wake of a 40-24 loss at UCLA last Thursday, which could easily go down as their poorest display of the season this far. By the second quarter, they were already behind by 20 points and did not recover against the onslaught of a charged up Bruins offense that tossed them all over the place. This was their second loss on the trot after their previous clash against Utah ended 30-24 in favour of the Utes.It should, however, be noted that before the two-game losing skid, the Bears had won their first five opening games, displaying one of the best offensive units in the nation. Their place in this game should therefore not be under estimated.

The Bears offense is led by the quarterback Jared Goff, who has impressively completed 2265 yards and 20 touchdowns against 9 interceptions. The running game is spearheaded by Khalfani Muhammad, who has tallied 429 yards and one touchdown, while star WR Kenny Lawler paces the receivers with 497 yards and 9 touchdowns. Against a Trojans defense that has 17 sacks, 6 fumble recoveries, and 8 interceptions, it looks like we will see the Bears struggle a little in passing the ball, but knowing the tried and tested skills of Goff, the Bears should still be able to put up some decent points.

Fortunately, the Bears D-line hasn’t been too bad either, with 20 sacks, 10 fumble recoveries, and 12 interceptions to their credit. With such stats, they should be able to give the Trojans offense a run for their money.

Betting on USC Trojans

The unranked Trojans surprised last week’s NCAAF odds when they beat the No.3 Utah Utes 42-24, despite coming off two consecutive losses with an interim coach at the helm of football program. By the end of the first quarter, the Trojans were trailing the then unbeaten Utah by 14-7, and it looked like Utah would collect another routine win. However, the Trojans displayed an impressive will to fight, staging a mighty comeback by scoring 35 of the game’s next 38 points to take total control of the game, while outgained and even outrushing the Devontae Booker-led stellar Utah running game. After such a big win, you can expect the Trojans to continue with that success this week.

On the season, USC’s offense is averaging 38.9 points and 492 yards per game. The offense is led by the quarterback Cody Kessler, who has competed 2082 yards, 18 touchdowns against 5 interceptions. The running backs are led by Ronald Jones II, who has tallied 453 yards and 4 touchdowns. On the receiving, they have JuJu Smith-Schuster, who stands out as one of the strongest and best wideouts in the country. Matching this offense with a Golden Bears defensive unit that is allowing 26.7 points and 420.3 yards per game; the Trojans look more than capable of handling Cal and giving even a better performance than against Utah.

Defensively, the Trojans have allowed 21.7 points and 395.4 yards per game. This D-line looks better on the paper than the Bear defensive unit, but against a Bears offense that is stacking up 37.9 points and 504.6 yards per game, a rough outing can be expected.

Main Cal and USC Injury Concerns

•    Bears: Brian Farley (Doubtful), Aisea Tongilava and Aisea Tongilava
•    Trojans: Max Tuerk, Issac Whitney, Toa Lobendahn, Marvell Tell III

Key Betting Trends

•    Southern Cal is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
•    The total has gone OVER in 4 of Southern Cal’s last 6 games
•    Southern Cal is 7-14 ATS in its last 21 games on the road
•    Southern Cal is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games on the road
•    California is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
•    The total has gone UNDER in 5 of California’s last 6 games
•    California is 5-15 ATS in its last 20 games at home
•    California is 6-14 SU in its last 20 games at home

My Expert USC @ Cal Betting Analysis & Pick

USC comes into this encounter oozing with confidence after their dominant showing against Utah on both ends of the line of scrimmage. Even so, Cal’s last two opponents, Utah and UCLA, are top-25 teams, so bettors shouldn’t read too much into the Bears’ losses in both games. Considering all that, and keeping Cal’s home advantage in mind, we believe the Bears will give a performance worthy of securing them a win. A shootout game looks likely here, with Kessler and Goff spurring against each other in an entertaining pass-oriented game, so an OVER total looks like. So, in short, take California for the SU and ATS, along with an OVER total.