The Pac-12’s top receiver, JuJu Smith-Schuster (537 yards, 6 TDs), will be on display when the No. 17 Southern California Trojans meet the Washington Huskies. The Trojans are 3-1, while the Huskies have a 2-2 record this season. The game starts at 9:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct 8 and will air on ESPN.
USC cruised past Arizona State 42-14 in their last game. Cody Kessler had a big game throwing the ball in the win, completing 19 of 33 passes for 375 yards, five TDs and one interception. JuJu Smith-Schuster also had a big day, contributing 103 receiving yards and two TDs on five receptions. Washington didn’t have the same success as USC, getting beat by California 30-24. Joshua Perkins had a solid game for the Huskies, totaling five receptions for 55 yards. Dwayne Washington had a big game as well, totaling 109 rushing yards and a TD on 10 attempts.
The Trojans are a substantial 17-point favorite and the Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is unavailable at the moment.
Heading into Week 6 of the college football season, the Trojans are 3-1 for both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS). USC has America’s 11th-ranked passing attack, which averages 356 yards per game. Turning to the Trojans defense, a few key spots could be deciding factors this week. The Trojans defense will be hungry against Washington, who rank 111th in the nation with 2.5 turnovers committed per game. Keep an eye on USC to turn it up a notch during the second quarter, when it averages 16.5 points per game.
On the other side, the Huskies have 2-2 SU and 3-1 ATS records this season. Washington’s 18th-ranked run defense has given its competition fits. Opponents have only run for 104.5 yards per game against this terrorizing bunch. The Huskies have a habit of starting the second half with the proper adjustments in place. They average 14.8 points during the third quarter, ranking third in Division I. Special teams usually provides a spark for Washington. They average the 23rd-most return yards in the nation with 116.8.
Predictions: SU Winner – Southern California, ATS Winner – Southern California
Notes
Southern Cal is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games.
Southern Cal is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home.
Southern Cal is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Washington.
Southern Cal is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games when playing Washington.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Southern Cal’s last 7 games when playing Washington.
Southern Cal is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Washington.
Washington is 2-0 SU when leading at the half this season. USC is 3-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Since the beginning of last year, USC is 6-3 SU against Pac-12 opponents, while Washington is just 3-6 SU against conference foes.
When analyzing just in-conference ranks, USC appears to have the overall advantage in the passing game. Its offensive passing attack (ranked third in the Pac-12) will face the sixth-ranked pass defense of Washington, while its third-ranked pass defense will look to limit the sixth-ranked passing game of the Huskies.
When analyzing just in-conference ranks, USC seems to have the overall advantage in the run game. Its seventh-ranked rushing attack will face the 11th-ranked run defense of Washington, while its seventh-ranked run defense will look to contain the 11th-ranked rushing game of the Huskies.
