In a game that showcases two teams ranked in the Top 25 nationally, the No. 24 USC Trojans are getting 3.5 points as they prepare to host their in-conference foe No. 10 Utah Utes to United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. FS1 has the TV rights and this Friday showdown is scheduled to get going at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: USC Trojans vs. Utah Utes
USC is a live dog and is currently getting 3.5 points in this Pac-12 game. The Utes are also receiving -175 moneyline odds while the Trojans are +155. It appears that there will probably be some good live betting scenarios in this matchup, and Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at 53.5 points.
The game’s total has been driven higher after opening at 53. The original spread of 3.5 has stayed firm.
The Utes have gained 1.0 unit so far and are 1-1 against the spread (ATS). The team has recorded an Over-Under mark of 1-1.
The Trojans have lost 0.2 units this season. The team is 1-2 ATS and has an O/U record of 2-1.
The Utes have gone 3-0 straight up (SU) and they haven’t faced any Pac-12 competition yet. The Trojans are 2-1 SU overall and are also 1-0 SU in conference play.
The Utes are looking to remain unbeaten following a 31-0 win over Idaho State last week where the Utes completed 21-of-26 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Tyler Huntley went 15-for-19 for 282 yards and three touchdowns while Drew Lisk completed six-of-six for 38 yards. Zack Moss (106 yards on 10 rush attempts, one TD) led the ground attack while Britain Covey (four receptions, 42 yards) and Brant Kuithe (three catches, 80 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the win.
One week ago, BYU got the victory against this USC crew by a score of 30-27. Kedon Slovis completed 24-of-34 passes for 281 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. Vavae Malepeai (96 yards on 23 rush attempts, one TD) and Markese Stepp (53 yards on nine carries) handled the running game as Michael Pittman Jr. (nine receptions, 95 yards, two TDs) and Tyler Vaughns (seven catches, 65 yards) led the pass-catching attack in the loss.
Utah’s run the ball on 66.5 percent of its offensive possessions this year while USC has a rush percentage of 50 percent. The Utes have run for 226 yards per game and have seven touchdowns on the ground this year. The Trojans are logging 153.7 rush yards per game and have six total rushing TDs.
It seems like the Utes might own an edge when it comes to effectiveness in the ground game. Their backfield has produced 5.6 yards per carry while their defense is allowing a YPC of 2.7 to opponents. The Trojans have ran for 4.2 yards per carry and allowed 4.0 yards per rush attempt to opponents.
The Utes offensive scheme has averaged 213.3 yards in the air overall and has four passing scores so far. The Trojans have put up 310 pass yards per contest and have six total pass TDs.
On the defensive side of the ball, Utah appears to have the upper hand in both facets. The team has allowed 65 rush yards and 174.3 pass yards per game. The USC defense has allowed 264 yards per game to opposing passers and 145.0 yards per game to opposing runners. The Utes are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 3.40 to opponents, while the Trojans have given up a 6.15 ANY/A.
Offensively, Huntley has amassed 388 passing yards on the year, and has completed 28-of-35 attempts with three scores through the air and has yet to throw an interception. He’s got a sparkling 12.80 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 15.16 over the past two outings.
Kedon Slovis has managed to complete 30-of-42 passes for 338 yards, two TDs and four INTs for USC. His ANY/A stands at a mediocre 4.20 for the season and 8.66 across his last two games.
When these two squads faced one another a year ago, Utah got the victory over USC, 41-28.
Utah Utes at USC Trojans NCAA Pick
SU Winner: USC, ATS Winner: USC, O/U: Over
Team Betting Trends
- The Utes offense has recorded two pass plays of 40 yards or more, while the Trojans have put up three such plays.
- Both defenses have allowed one pass play of 40 or more yards. The Utah defense has given up two pass plays of 30+ yards while USC has permitted six such plays.
- The Utah offense has created six rushing plays of 20+ yards, while USC has created four such runs.
- The Utes defense has allowed one rushing play of 20+ yards, while the Trojans have given up four such runs.
- The USC D has tallied nine sacks on the year while Utah has seven.
- Utah has averaged 5.7 yards per carry over its last two matchups.
- USC has averaged 3.9 yards per carry over its last two.
- Over its last three contests, USC is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- The O/U for USC’s last game was set at 57.5. The under cashed in the 30-27 defeat to BYU.
