USC Dominates the College Football Odds Against California

The PAC-12 is off to a good start, but Week 4 is when we will start to see some separation, as that is when the conference games begin. A pair of unbeaten teams will go head to head this weekend, when the in-state rivalry between the College Football Odds favorites USC Trojans and the California Golden Bears heats back up. Both teams have started the season with a 3-0 record, but the season outlook for these teams is a good bit different. The expectation is that California will start to struggle once they get into the thick of their conference schedule, while there are a lot of people out there making the case for the USC Trojans as the National Champions. That may be a bit of a stretch, and it will definitely not happen if the Trojans struggle to get by lesser opponents according to the College Football Odds, as they did last week. This is a match-up that the Trojans have completely dominated in recent years, which may help explain why they are in as a 17-point favorite for this one. The O/U for this game has been set at 64 points.

USC Trojans at California Golden Bears NCAAF Odds & Preview for Week 4

Here is @USCCoachHelton‘s presser, including a lengthy injury list, as Cal Week begins: https://t.co/s8Wvul3MZG

— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) 20 de septiembre de 2017

When: Saturday, September 23 at 3:30 PM EST Where: California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley TV: ABC Radio: KGEO-AM 1230 (USC) / KGO 810 AM (California) Live Stream: PAC-12 Networks College Football Odds: USC -17 (64)

Series History

• Total Meetings: 103
• First Meeting: USC 28 – California 10 (1915)
• Last Meeting: USC 45 – California 24 (2016)
• All-Time Series: USC 69-5-29
• Largest Margin of Victory: USC +74 points
• Longest Win Streak: USC W12
• Current Win Streak: USC W12

Why Bet on the USC Trojans?

The Trojans are off to a perfect start this season, but it can be argued that their performances to this point have been less than perfect. They were made to fight tooth and nail to get the Week 1 win against Western Michigan, and then needed overtime last weekend to get past the Texas Longhorns, who looked to have the game won in the final minute of regular time. The start of conference play is when we will really see what this Trojans team is made of, and while they are going up against an unbeaten California squad, this is a game that they should be expected to win comfortably. After all, the Trojans have beaten the Golden Bears 13 straight times, and you need to go all the way back to when Aaron Rodgers was under center for Cal to find the last time the Trojans dropped one to their rivals. The Trojans are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 meetings with Cal, and 11 of the last 13 meetings between these two have gone under the point total.

Team Statistics

Offense:

• Average Score For: 39.3
• Total Yards: 537.3
• Rush Yards: 203.3
• Passing Yards: 334

Defense:

• Average Score Against: 26.3
• Total Yards: 355
• Rush Yards: 167
• Passing Yards: 188

Why Bet on the California Golden Bears?

The California Bears come into this game with a perfect 3-0 record, and are sure to be a confident bunch after already picking up a pair of very good wins to start the season. They took out the North Carolina Tar Heels in their season opener, and then delivered a big win over Ole Miss last week. They were underdogs on the College Football Odds for both of those games, so they will not be overwhelmed by coming into this one as a rather hefty underdog. The Golden bears will be looking to use their home field advantage to spring the upset here, as they are 8-2 in their last 10 games at home. They are also 4-1 SU in their last 5, but they are going to need to find a way to overcome the dominance that the Trojans have had over them over the past 13 seasons. The odds are heavily stacked against the Golden Bears in this one, but there is a chance that they might just be able to keep this thing close.

Team Statistics

Offense:

• Average Score For: 31.6
• Total Yards: 432.9
• Rush Yards: 166.6
• Passing Yards: 266.3

Defense:

• Average Score Against: 22
• Total Yards: 475.6
• Rush Yards: 137.3
• Passing Yards: 338.3

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

This is a game that the USC Trojans will almost certainly win, as the College Football odds dictates, which is why we need to go looking for some value elsewhere. I am not sold on USC being a championship contender this year, as they have already struggled to put away lesser opponents. I think that Cal can cover here, and I also believe that the point total will fall UNDER 64. Final Score Prediction: USC Trojans 35 – California Golden Bears 21

Latest College Football Betting Trends

-Trojans are 7-3 ATS in the last 10 games -Trojans are 5-0 SU in the last 5 games -The total has gone OVER in 4 of the Trojans last 5 games -Golden Bears are 1-7 ATS in the last 8 games when playing Southern California -Golden Bears are 0-5 SU in the last 5 games when playing Southern California -The total has gone UNDER in 11 of the Golden Bears last 13 games when playing Southern California