Two prolific offenses will be on display in this one as the Arizona Wildcats (5-4) take on the Southern California Trojans (5-3). The Pac-12’s leading passer, Cody Kessler (2,268 yards, 18 TDs), will be featured in this game. Arizona will attempt to get back on track after losing three straight. The game will air Saturday, Nov 7 at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
In last week’s matchup, USC defeated California 27-21. Ronald Jones II had a huge game running the ball in the victory, rushing 11 times for 80 yards and one TD. Deontay Burnett had 82 receiving yards on three catches. Arizona is hoping for a different outcome after losing big against Washington 49-3. Nate Phillips had a solid performance for the Wildcats, grabbing three receptions for 56 yards.
USC is a 16-point favorite against the Wildcats.
With a 5-3 record both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS), the Trojans will look to improve as they head into Week 10. In their five most recent matchups, the Trojans went 3-2 for both SU and ATS. A focal point of USC’s offense is its passing game, which ranks 17th in the country with 313 passing yards per game. During their last five games, the Trojans gave up 244.8 passing yards per game. The Wildcats will need to stop USC’s defense from stripping the ball. It ranks 23rd in the nation in fumbles recovered with 0.9 per game. In the first quarter, USC is tough to stop, putting up 9.5 points in the first 15 minutes.
As for their opponent, the Wildcats head into Week 10 with records of 4-5 ATS and 5-4 SU. Over their last five games, the Wildcats have a SU and ATS record of 2-3 for those betting with them. Chances are Arizona will continue to rely on its run game, where its 266.2 rushing yards per game ranks 11th in the nation. Few teams have been worse than USC when it comes to penalties. This season, the Trojans have earned 68 penalty yards per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Southern California, ATS Winner – Arizona
Notes
Southern Cal is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games.
Southern Cal is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Southern Cal’s last 6 games at home.
Southern Cal is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games when playing Arizona.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Southern Cal’s last 9 games when playing Arizona.
Southern Cal is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Arizona.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Southern Cal’s last 7 games when playing at home against Arizona.
Arizona is 4-0 SU when leading at the half this season. USC is 5-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, Arizona is only 1-3 SU in games where it comes out ahead in the turnover battle, yet undefeated (3-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
The USC defense has forced an average of 2.1 turnovers per game this season. Arizona is only 1-2 SU when turning the ball over at least 2.0 times in a game.
Among all FBS teams, the USC offensive passing game is ranked 17th in the country, while the Arizona pass defense is only ranked 117th. The Wildcats passing attack is ranked 48th, compared to the 83rd-ranked pass defense of the Trojans.
