The No. 22 Trojans (-5) are preparing to host the Washington State Cougars in USC. This showdown will kick off pretty late for those on the East Coast (10:30 p.m. ET) and fans can catch the action by tuning in to ESPN.
Washington State Cougars vs. USC Trojans Betting Preview
The Cougars come into this Friday Pac-12 game as the dog here and are currently getting 5 points. If they want to play the moneyline, gamblers would currently have to spend $200 in order to win $100 back on the Trojans (-200). The Cougars are getting +170 moneyline odds. Should one team finds paydirt early, it would likely produce a worthwhile in-game betting opportunity.
The game’s line opened at -4 and the early action has shifted toward the Trojans.
The Cougars are 3-0 against the spread (ATS) and have recorded 1.0 unit so far. The team’s posted an Over-Under mark of 1-1. The Trojans are down 2.0 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 0-3 ATS and have an O/U record of 2-1.
The Cougars have gone 3-0 straight up (SU) and they haven’t faced any Pac-12 competition yet. The Trojans are 1-2 SU overall and are also 0-1 SU in conference play.
When these two schools faced one another a year ago, Washington State knocked off Washington State by a field goal 30-27.
The Cougars are looking to stay unbeaten following a 59-24 victory over Eastern Washington last week. the Cougars completed 51-of-65 passes for 524 yards and three touchdowns. Gardner Minshew II went 45-for-57 for 470 yards and two touchdowns while Trey Tinsley completed six-of-eight for 54 yards and one touchdown. James Williams (only 19 yards on six rushes, but three TDs) led the ground attack while Davontavean Martin (13 receptions, 149 yards, one TD) and Jamire Calvin (six catches, 70 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
A week ago, Texas knocked off this USC team by a score of 37-14. JT Daniels completed 30-of-48 passes for 322 yards and one interception. Stephen Carr (13 yards on six rush attempts, one TD) handled the running game while Amon-Ra St. Brown (nine receptions, 167 yards) and Tyler Vaughns (four catches, 36 yards) led the receiving corps in the loss.
Washington State has run the ball on 27.6 percent of its offensive possessions this year while USC has a rush percentage of 43.3 percent. The Cougars have rushed for 80 yards per game and have seven touchdowns on the ground this year. The Trojans are logging 109 rush yards per game and have five total rushing TDs.
It seems like the Cougars should hold an edge when it comes to quarterback protection, as their offensive line has yielded only 44 sacks while the D-line registered 37 sacks. The Trojans, on the other hand, have given up 30 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing QBs just 46 times.
The Cougars offense has averaged a stellar 421 yards through the air overall and has nine passing scores so far. The Trojans have recorded 274 pass yards per outing and have only one pass TDs.
Defensively, Washington State seems to have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed opponents to rush for an average of 96 yards and pass for 133 yards per game. The USC D has given up 171.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 209.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Cougars are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of just 1.55 to opponents, while the Trojans have given up a 5.97 ANY/A.
Offensively, Minshew II is up to 789 passing yards on the year, and has completed 83-of-114 attempts with five scores through the air and only one interception. Minshew II’s got a 7.17 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 8.02 over the last two outings.
JT Daniels has managed to complete 51-of-83 passes for 604 yards, one TD and one INT for USC. His ANY/A sits at 6.11 for the season and 3.89 over his past two outings.
NCAA Prediction: Washington State Cougars at USC Trojans
SU Winner – USC, ATS Winner – USC
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Notes
Betting Trends
The Washington State D has sacked opposing QBs 10 times this season. USC has registered seven sacks.
Each team has lost one fumble this season.
The Cougars offense has tallied zero pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Trojans have accounted for six such plays.
The Washington State defense has allowed two pass plays of 40+ yards, while USC has given up one such play.
The Washington State offense has created zero rushing plays of 20+ yards, while USC has created four such runs.
The Cougars defense has allowed two rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Trojans have given up seven such runs.
USC was favored by 3 points in its last outing and the Over/Under was 47.5. The over cashed and USC did not cover in the 37-14 defeat to Texas.
Over its last three games, USC is 0-3 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
Washington State was favored by 21 points in its previous game. The team covered the spread in the 59-24 triumph over Eastern Washington.
Washington State has averaged 3.6 yards per carry over its last two outings.
USC has averaged 2.1 yards per carry over its last two.
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