No. 14 Utah vs. No. 18 USC college football odds, trends: Caleb Williams and USC seek to save 2023 Heisman Trophy, playoff hopes

The only player to repeat as Heisman Trophy winner was former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin. USC quarterback Caleb Williams of course won the 2022 Heisman, but his chances of repeating got much longer in Saturday's loss at Notre Dame and could vanish entirely if Williams struggles again this Saturday when the No. 18 Trojans host No. 14 Utah in what could be the final Pac-12 rivalry matchup between the teams, with USC at -7 on the SportsLine consensus.

Because USC's loss to the Irish was out of conference, it remains atop the Pac-12 at 4-0 with No. 5 Washington at 3-0 and every other team having at least one league loss. Utah's came at Oregon State on Sept. 29. Whichever of the two teams loses on Saturday can likely say goodbye to the College Football Playoff as no two-loss team has ever made it. The Trojans are +900 to reach the CFP and the Utes +1600.

Utah would face a major uphill climb to reach a third straight Pac-12 Championship Game (it won the past two) with a second conference defeat. Washington is the +140 league favorite. The Huskies visit USC on Nov. 4 and visit Utah on Nov. 11. Of course, USC (+360 to win Pac-12) is headed to the Big Ten next year and Utah (+1000) is moving to the Big 12, so they won't play for a while after this barring an unlikely conference title matchup.

Williams became the 2023 Heisman favorite essentially as soon as he won the 2022 award, but some books now have him behind Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. entering Week 7. Williams then had arguably the worst game of his career Saturday in the 48-20 blowout loss at the Irish. He logged just 199 passing yards and one touchdown, and tied his career high with three picks. He was a non-factor running the ball, losing 8 yards on 13 carries.

Williams is now +2000 to win the Heisman at DraftKings, outside the top five, but is still the -500 favorite to be the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Penix Jr. is the clear-cut -130 Heisman favorite with Michigan QB JJ McCarthy next at +1000. Penix is taking by far the most handle at DK at 36% with Williams at 11%.

The Oklahoma transfer is now just 3-6 in his career as a starter against ranked foes compared to 19-0 against unranked teams. The Trojans are 11-0 at home all-time under Lincoln Riley, though, and averaging an FBS-best 48.9 points per game at home since the start of last year.

Utah was 2-0 vs. USC last year, winning by a point at home in the regular season and dominating in the Pac-12 title game despite Williams putting up huge numbers in both. He is thus 0-2 vs. Utah and 13-0 vs. the rest of the Pac-12 in his career.

The Utes are seeking their first ever win on the road at a ranked USC team. Utah has really struggled on the road this year, averaging 13.5 points, which is last in the Pac-12 and 122nd in the FBS. Utah is 4-15 on the road against ranked teams this century and 0-3 over the past two seasons.

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