The Southern California Trojans (6-3) are looking to extend their three-game winning streak as they travel to take on the Colorado Buffaloes (4-6). The country’s fourth-leading receiver, JuJu Smith-Schuster (1,094 yards, 9 TDs), will be featured in this matchup for USC. Things don’t seem likely to get better any time soon for struggling Colorado, as it has lost four of its last five. The game starts at 9:00 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov 13 and will be available on ESP2.
Colorado was dominated by Stanford 42-10 last week. Nelson Spruce had a good performance in the loss, recording five receptions for 75 yards. USC is hoping for another victory like last week’s performance, when it defeated Arizona 38-30. Ronald Jones II had a big game on the ground for the Trojans, running 19 times for 177 yards and one TD. JuJu Smith-Schuster had a great game as well, adding 138 receiving yards and a TD on eight catches.
The Trojans take on the Buffaloes as a 14-point favorite this week. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is 61 points.
Heading into Week 11 of the college football season, the Buffaloes are 4-6 for both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last five games, the Buffaloes have records of 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS. The Buffaloes run the ball often. Their 44.4 rushing attempts per game are the 22nd-highest in the country. During their last five games, the Buffaloes gave up 248.6 passing yards per game. Colorado likes to run an up-tempo, fast-paced offense. With an average of 79.9 plays per game, they rank 12th in Division I.
Over on the other sideline, the Trojans have a record of 5-4 ATS and 6-3 SU. Over their last five games, the Trojans have a SU record of 3-2 and a 2-3 record ATS for those betting with them. If earlier games are any indication, the Trojans will throw the ball a lot. They average 305.2 passing yards per game, good enough for 18th in Division I. Shifting to the other side of the ball, it might be tough for the Buffaloes to keep up with USC’s defense in a few areas. The Buffaloes will need to secure the ball against the turnover-minded Trojans. The defense ranks 17th in the country in turnovers with two per game. The Trojans could take advantage of Colorado’s reputation as a slow starter on defense. The Buffaloes are 110th in Division I in first-quarter points allowed with 9.1. Special teams is usually an area of weakness for the Buffaloes, giving up 110.3 return yards per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Southern California, ATS Winner – Southern California, O/U – Under
Notes
Colorado is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games.
Colorado is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games.
Colorado is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Colorado is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Colorado’s last 9 games at home.
Colorado is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Southern Cal.
USC is 5-1 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Colorado is 2-1 SU when leading after three quarters.
Remarkably, Colorado is winless (0-4) SU in games where it comes out ahead in the turnover battle, yet 4-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
The USC defense has forced an average of 2.0 turnovers per game this season. Colorado is just 1-2 SU when turning the ball over at least 2.0 times in a game.
Among all FBS teams, the Colorado offensive passing game is ranked 48th nationally, while the USC pass defense is only ranked 96th. The Trojans passing attack is ranked 18th, compared to the 62nd-ranked pass defense of the Buffaloes.
