Oregon vs USC prediction, preview: College Football odds
The Oregon Ducks will look to remain in pole position to make the Pac-12 Championship Game when they welcome the USC Trojans on Saturday night. Autzen Stadium will play host to the marquee matchup between these two powerhouse programs. This late-night contest will feature two elite quarterbacks and Heisman Trophy candidates, Oregon's Bo Nix and USC's Caleb Willams.
The Pac-12 clash is set to kick off at 9:30 p.m. CT from Eugene, Oregon. Fox will carry the national broadcast with Tim Brando and Spencer Tillman on the call.
Caesars Sportsbook, the official odds partner of Bet.NOLA.com, is favoring the hosts by more than two touchdowns with the over/under set at 76 total points.
Let's take a closer look at the odds, highlight a pick and make a prediction for this late-night Pac-12 clash:
USC Trojans (7-3) at Oregon Ducks (8-1)
Time/TV: 9:30 p.m. (Fox)
Spread: Oregon -15
Over/Under: 76
Moneyline: Oregon -700, USC +500
TOP PICK
USC +15 at Oregon (-110 at Caesars Sportsbook)
Ding dong! The witch is dead. It's a new era of USC Trojans football with defensive coordinator Alex Grinch being shown the door following the team's 52-42 loss to Washington last week.
Grinch's defense has been the Trojans' main issue throughout the season as they have given up nearly 35 points per game (No. 124 out of 133 nationwide). USC, a team with title hopes preseason, dropped to 7-3 with the latest defeat. Now, things will be on the up with Brian Odom and Shaun Tua taking over as co-defensive coordinators. Let's be honest, could they have gotten much worse?
A loss to Oregon on Saturday night will make it four on the season for the Trojans. They have nothing left to truly play for this year, which has been considered a colossal failure. For this reason, I believe they'll come out and play with a sense of freedom in front of a packed house at Autzen Stadium.
USC has the talent offensively to keep up with the Ducks with Caleb Williams leading the way. However, the Ducks are a much more complete team than anybody the Trojans have faced to date. The best defense USC played (No. 10 in total defense, Utah) held it to 32 points. I think Oregon (No. 18) will one-up the Utes and keep USC under 25 points on the evening.
Nevertheless, I think the Trojans keep this one respectable, similar to the 2020 Pac-12 Championship Game, which ended 31-24. The Ducks have only failed to win by 15+ three times this season, USC should be able to make it four with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner at the helm.
Prediction: Oregon 34, USC 24 (Under 75)
