The No. 22 Southern California Trojans (7-3) will travel to take on the No. 23 Oregon Ducks (7-3) this week in a key matchup. The country’s fifth-leading rusher, Royce Freeman (1,392 yards, 12 TDs), will be featured in this matchup for Oregon. It starts at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov 21 and will be available on ESPN.
In last week’s game, Oregon picked up a close victory against Stanford 38-36. Darren Carrington had a quality performance in the win, totaling two catches for 54 yards and one TD. USC also got the win in last week’s performance, picking up a close victory against Colorado 27-24. JuJu Smith-Schuster had a good game for the Trojans, totaling three receptions for 66 yards and one TD. Cody Kessler also had a big day, contributing 204 yards and three TDs through the air.
Oregon is favored by a slight two-point margin in its matchup against the Trojans. The Over/Under (O/U) is currently at 70 points for this matchup.
Heading into Week 12 of the college football season, the Ducks are 7-3 Straight Up (SU) and 6-4 Against The Spread (ATS). In the past five games, Oregon is 4-1 for both SU and ATS. The Ducks are averaging an impressive 537.8 total yards in the last five games. Crossing over to the defensive side of the ball, the Ducks look to have a distinct advantage in certain spots. A pivotal part of the game will be whether the Trojans can protect their quarterback from Oregon’s hungry defense. It averages the 12th-most sacks in the nation with 2.9 per game. In the first quarter, Oregon is tough to stop, putting up 9.6 points in the first 15 minutes. Oregon’s special teams are one of its strengths. They earn 138.1 return yards per game, putting them fourth in Division I.
Across the field, the Trojans have a record of 5-5 ATS and 7-3 SU. The Trojans went 4-1 SU and 2-3 ATS over the last five games. USC has found a lot of success through the air. Its 295.1 passing yards per game ranks 22nd in Division I. Over the last five games, the Trojans have turned it up on defense, allowing an average of 109.8 rushing yards per game. They are trending in the right direction from their 134 season average. The Ducks need to protect their quarterback against the sack-happy Trojans. The USC defense ranks 12th in the country in sacks with 2.9 per game. The Trojans usually get a boost in the second quarter, when they average 13.4 points this year. With an average of 110.2 return yards per game (21st-most in the country), USC has had a great deal of success with its special teams.
Predictions: SU Winner – Southern California, ATS Winner – Southern California, O/U – Under
Notes
Oregon is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
Oregon is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
Oregon is 20-4 SU in its last 24 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oregon’s last 5 games at home.
Oregon is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Southern Cal.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oregon’s last 5 games when playing Southern Cal.
Oregon is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Southern Cal.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Southern Cal’s last 5 games when playing Oregon.
USC is 6-1 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Oregon is 7-1 SU when leading after three quarters.
Remarkably, Oregon is only 1-2 SU in games where it comes out ahead in the turnover battle, yet undefeated (6-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
The USC defense has forced an average of 2.0 turnovers over its last five games. Oregon is just 1-2 SU this season when turning the ball over at least 2.0 times in a game.
Nationally, the Oregon passing attack is ranked 53rd, while the USC pass defense is only ranked 95th. The Trojans passing game is ranked 22nd, compared to the 126th-ranked pass defense of the Ducks.
