The USC Trojans defeated the Stanford Cardinal last season, but they did so without their current head coach. The Stanford Cardinal have undergone many changes as well.
USC Trojans @ Stanford Cardinal
Saturday, September 6th – 3:35 PM ET
Odds: Stanford -2
Why The Trojans Will Cover
They are playing a Stanford team that has lost so many key players from last year’s team, which successfully defended the Cardinal’s 2012 Pac-12 championship. Why has Stanford been so successful over the past four seasons, including the past two with a Rose Bowl berth? The Cardinal just had a knockout recruiting class that finally graduated this past offseason. Stanford was able to physically overpower opponents with a defensive front seven that included Shayne Skov, Ben Gardner, and Trent Murphy, three specimens who were brick walls for opposing running backs during their careers. Stanford was not only good on defense. It was deep on defense. The Cardinal had very few holes or weaknesses that could be exploited. They might not have had the fastest defense, but they reacted well to plays, made great reads, and were in the right spots at the right times. With Skov, Gardner and Murphy all out of the mix, Stanford loses a bunch of great players and great leaders all at once. That’s a lot to lose.
USC has an offense that can attack Stanford’s younger defense, too. Cody Kessler threw for 394 yards in the season opener against a decent Fresno State team. The Trojans gained over 700 yards of offense and were both explosive and balanced, a perfect combination. New head coach Steve Sarkisian has improved the way in which this team executes. That’s going to be a big plus against Stanford.
Why The Cardinal Will Cover
They have two very important players back on offense, minimizing the losses they’ve suffered on defense and giving them a chance to win this game against USC’s defense. Kevin Hogan is the veteran quarterback who has developed over the course of his time with the program. He wasn’t the starter at the beginning of 2012 as the successor to Andrew Luck, but he grew into the role. In 2013, he was the full-time leader of the offense. With another year in front of him this year, Hogan should be better than ever, and if he is able to live up to the coaching staff’s expectations for him, Stanford’s offense won’t miss the players it has lost, including running back Tyler Gaffney. Hogan should be comforted by the fact that he has receiver Ty Montgomery back in the fold this year. Montgomery is not just a great receiver, but a prime-time threat as a kick returner. He gives Stanford the extra dimension that can come in handy in what promises to be a very close game against a USC team that defeated the Cardinal last year. Stanford wants revenge, and that desire could give the Cardinal the extra push they need.
Outlook
If USC’s offense can continue to execute the way it did against Fresno State, the Trojans will be in good shape. However, Stanford is such a different kind of team compared to Fresno State. The Cardinal are probably going to be able to play this game the way they want to. They’ll win by a field goal.
Pick: Stanford -2
