Since college football began, we have seen programs rise and fall, with periods of greatness followed by several lean years. The USC Trojans were once at the top of the pile, but their fall came as the result of a self-inflicted wound. Numerous NCAA violations saw them stripped of scholarships, which in turn led to them being able to recruit as heavily as they would have liked. The Oregon Ducks, the opponents of USC this weekend, had a shorter ride at the top of the pile, but their fall has been more dramatic than most. We all knew that there was going to be a drop off when Marcus Mariota made the jump to the NFL, but I don’t believe anyone saw them falling this far. The Ducks have been awful this season, and will head to California this weekend with a 2-5 record, and one of the leakiest defenses in all of college football. That may help explain why the USC Trojans have been installed as a 17-point online betting favorite for this match-up on Saturday.
Here’s A Closer Look At The Ducks at Trojans College Football Expert Predictions
When: Saturday, November 5 at 7 PM EST
Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, LA
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: Watch ESPN
NCAAF Odds: TBA
Why bet on the Oregon Ducks
The Ducks were finally able to stop the bleeding a little last weekend with a 54-35 win over Arizona State. Prior to that victory, they had lost 5 in a row, and were beginning to look as though another win this year would be very unlikely. As mentioned earlier, the Ducks defense has been a major concern this year, with the low point coming when they gave up 70 points to Washington a couple of weeks back. This is still a team that can score, but the offense is essentially forced to get points on every drive in order to make up for those defensive deficiencies. The win last week represented the first time that the Oregon Ducks had covered the spread this season.
Why bet on the USC Trojans
Things are starting to look up for the Trojans, as they appear to be turning their season around. They lost their first two road games of the year to go 1-2 on the season, but since then they have reeled off 4 straight wins, and are playing well on both sides of the football. The Trojans have delivered a balanced attack all season long, but have been particularly dominant running the ball, which could prove to be a problem for a Ducks defense that has resembled Swiss cheese against the run. USC are 4-3 ATS this season, but more importantly, are 4-0 ATS when playing at home. They will be looking to avenge the 48-28 loss they took in Oregon last season.
Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction
The Ducks are going to score some points this weekend, but will it be enough to get the win? I don’t think so. The Trojans will be able to control the game if they can establish the run early on, which they should be able to do. I like USC to win and cover.
