Tag: USC

Holiday Bowl: USC Trojans vs. Iowa Hawkeyes odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Friday’s Holiday Bowl betting odds between the USC Trojans and the Iowa Hawkeyes, with betting picks, tips and bets.

The USC Trojans (8-4) will battle the Iowa Hawkeyes (9-3) Friday at SDCCU Stadium in San Diego at 8 p.m. (on FS1). We analyze the USC-Iowa odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

USC vs. Iowa: Three things you need to know

1. USC finished the regular season fifth in the nation in passing yards at 335 yards per game.

2. USC has failed to cover in seven straight games against a Big Ten opponent.

3. The point total has gone UNDER in six of the last eight non-home games for USC.

USC vs. Iowa: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 3:40 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Iowa 30, USC 27

Moneyline (ML)

Iowa (-134) is a small moneyline favorite over USC (+110). But considering how low the spread is here, you are better off taking the Hawkeyes at -2.5 while getting better odds. With this in mind, AVOID a moneyline wager.

Against the Spread (ATS)

IOWA (-2.5, -110) is the play, being less than a field-goal favorite. While USC does have one of the better passing attacks in all of college football, Iowa’s veteran defense should have no problem slowing the Trojans down. The Hawkeyes have allowed the fifth-fewest points in the country and excel stopping the pass. Iowa is just a bad matchup for USC.

Over/Under (O/U)

The O/U is 51.5 (Over -115, Under -106) in part due to Iowa’s outstanding defense. However, that total seems slightly low despite the Under hitting in six of the last eight games involving the Hawkeyes. Look for this to be a fairly low-scoring game, but for the OVER 51.5 (-115) to hit late in the fourth quarter.

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Marcus_Mosher and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

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5-star Georgia target never signed with rival; coach explains why

Georgia football 5-star target Jordan Burch committed but never signed with South Carolina and his head coach explains why.

On Early Signing Day, Georgia missed out on its biggest target, 5-star defensive Jordan Burch.

Burch committed to South Carolina, deciding to stick around in his hometown of Columbia.

He is the 5th ranked player in the country and the highest recruit the Gamecocks have reeled in since Jadeveon Clowney (#1) in 2011.

However, South Carolina fans will have to wait a bit longer before things become official with Burch, as he never signed his letter of intent during the early signing period (Wed-Fri) and plans on waiting.

Burch’s high school Erik Kimrey discussed his star playing not signing early, stating he wants to do so with his teammates.

“I think Jordan and (South Carolina verbal commit Alex Huntley) value signing with their teammates, and to me that’s a reason they decided not to sign early,” Kimrey told The Post and Courier in a story published on Saturday.

Kimrey did not indicate that Burch may be having second thoughts, but that will not stop Georgia coaches from reaching out to him and attempting to land the five-star before that first Wednesday in February.

Why Arkansas fans shouldn’t freak out about an awful Signing Day (but USC fans should)

Arkansas had the 88th-ranked recruiting class. USC had the 78th. But USC fans should be the ones who are really freaking out.

When looking at the rankings of recruiting classes during early signing period from yesterday, two schools jumped out for a lot of people — Arkansas and USC.

Arkansas’s recruiting class was ranked 88th in the country, per 24/7’s recruiting rankings. That is … not good for an SEC school. That is not good for any Power Five school. That’s not all that great for an AAC school.

USC, on the other hand, was ranked 78th, just behind such notable schools as Bowling Green, Troy, Western Michigan and Toledo.

You might notice that USC’s ranking is 10 spots ahead of Arkansas. But here’s the thing: USC fans are the ones who should be really worried here.

It’s all about context.

Before we delve into this, let me say quickly: Yes, I know these two schools have nothing to do with one another. The only thing connecting them is that they’re both P-5 schools who probably feel their recruiting classes should have higher rankings. But I promise I’m getting somewhere, and it’s really about how to perceive these rankings, and how context changes everything.

(Also, one big huge caveat that these rankings are in many cases meaningless. These are teenagers. I get that. Some will turn into stars and others will flame out. Still, these rankings do a decent job predicting program success, and let’s just agree to accept their problems and move on.)

So, context. Arkansas is ranked 88th in this recruiting class, but an educated Arkansas fan has to be feeling OK this morning. Why? Arkansas has a new head coach, Sam Pittman, who’s been with the program for about 12 minutes. He and his cobbled together staff had to come together quickly and grab some players and … they did just that.

Pittman’s new staff, featuring a few ex-assistants from Missouri, was even able to convince a couple recruits who were leaning toward Mizzou to switch over to their side. They stole a few from a divisional rival, and in the end, got nine three-star recruits and one four-star recruit in their class.

Sure, SEC West rival Alabama had 19 four-star and three five-star commits, but that’s Alabama. By stealing a few from Mizzou, Arkansas kept things close with a rival, and seriously hurt Missouri in the process — the Tigers came in at 80th in the rankings. (Decent argument to be made that Mizzou should be more nervous than Arkansas!)

For an Arkansas staff with just a few weeks to work, they have to feel good about that haul. It’s going to take time, here, and the school will have to be patient. But Arkansas, even with the 88th ranked recruiting class in the nation, has reasons for optimism.

Clay Helton. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

USC, on the other hand. Woof. USC does not have a new coach. Clay Helton was, and remains, their coach. USC is in Southern California, which, unlike Arkansas, is one of the most talent-stocked areas of high school football in the country. The population of Southern California is huge, and the college football is good.

USC has history. It’s in a Power 5 conference. It has an established, albeit under-performing coach. It’s in one of the best locations for recruiting in the country.

And it’s getting beat by Bowling Green for recruits.

This is nothing less than a disaster. There is no excuse for it. Did Helton and his staff assume they were going to be fired and just not bother recruiting? I’m just struggling to understand how this is possible. Just ask high school seniors who are USC fans in the 30 miles around your school and you can probably put together a top-30 class, and somehow they couldn’t do that.

Remember: It’s not just about the ranking. It’s about the context. USC is 10 spots higher than Arkansas, but Trojans fans should be the ones melting down right now.

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USC’s recruiting class is a disaster, and the college football world is losing it

USC currently has a worse recruiting class than Bowling Green, Troy, and UL Lafayette. Fans are stunned.

USC has perennially been a college football powerhouse, and one of the big reasons for that is its location. It can recruit from Southern California, and Southern California? It’s got a lot of really good high school football players! Like, so many good high school football players!

USC is a Power 5 school with a rich tradition, great infrastructure, a great location, and everything else a school could possibly want when it comes to recruiting.

Which makes it all the more stunning that, as of 11:30 ET on Early Signing Day, USC has the 76th best recruiting class in the country, per 24/7 Sports. They needed to land three-star DT Tuli Tuipulotu to move up to 76th, too — before that, they were slotted in at the 85th spot … just below Georgia State.

To put it bluntly, USC is a mess. The school didn’t end up firing head coach Clay Helton this offseason, but there were rumors throughout the year that they were going to. With an unsettled AD — the school brought in outsider Mike Bohn this year — it’s unsurprising that many recruits were scared off by a team that seems so in flux. Why commit to a team where you’re pretty sure the coach won’t be there in a year?

Anyway, it’s a mess, and CFB fans and writers enjoyed it.

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5 Trojans who can up their NFL Draft stock in the Holiday Bowl

Here are five Trojans that can improve their 2020 draft stock in the Holiday Bowl against Iowa Austin Jackson (Jr.) LT Michael Pittman Jr. (Sr.) WR Jay Tufele (Redshirt So.) DE Christian Rector (Redshirt Sr.) DE Tyler Vaughns (Redshirt Jr.) WR

Here are five Trojans that can improve their 2020 draft stock in the Holiday Bowl against Iowa Austin Jackson (Jr.) LT Michael Pittman Jr. (Sr.) WR Jay Tufele (Redshirt So.) DE Christian Rector (Redshirt Sr.) DE Tyler Vaughns (Redshirt Jr.) WR

5 Trojans who can up their NFL Draft stock in the Holiday Bowl

Here are five Trojans that can improve their 2020 draft stock in the Holiday Bowl against Iowa Austin Jackson (Jr.) LT Michael Pittman Jr. (Sr.) WR Jay Tufele (Redshirt So.) DE Christian Rector (Redshirt Sr.) DE Tyler Vaughns (Redshirt Jr.) WR

Here are five Trojans that can improve their 2020 draft stock in the Holiday Bowl against Iowa Austin Jackson (Jr.) LT Michael Pittman Jr. (Sr.) WR Jay Tufele (Redshirt So.) DE Christian Rector (Redshirt Sr.) DE Tyler Vaughns (Redshirt Jr.) WR

Wisconsin bowl memories: 2015 Holiday Bowl vs USC

Wisconsin versus USC in the 2015 Holiday Bowl

Wisconsin’s upcoming bowl game will be played in Southern California against a Pac-12 opponent. Why not look back at a Paul Chryst bowl game which enhanced Wisconsin’s stature and reputation while giving ballast to the current coach of the Badgers, who has only gotten better since his first year in Madison?

As the 2019 college football season winds to a close, Badgers Wire thought it would be fun to look back upon the 2015 Holiday Bowl and how the game affected both teams involved. The Badgers won their division and will return to the Rose Bowl for the first time in seven years. The USC Trojans, their opponent in the 2015 Holiday Bowl, are also ranked in the College Football Playoff rankings and, interestingly enough, will return to the Holiday Bowl this season against Iowa, one of the better bowl matchups among the 39 for 2019 and 2020. 

The Trojans made the choice to retain coach Clay Helton for the upcoming season, which has not been received well by the local fan base. Interestingly enough, Helton took over as USC’s head coach in the 2015 season, relieving Steve Sarkisian in October of that campaign. Helton coached USC to the Pac-12 Championship Game that season, losing to Christian McCaffrey and Stanford. When Helton faced Chryst in that 2015 Holiday Bowl, college football fans were looking at two head coaches whose futures seemed impossible to predict.

Wisconsin got the better end of the deal, not just in that Holiday Bowl, but in the ensuing four years. USC did win a Rose Bowl in January of 2017, but Wisconsin has been much more consistent and has two New Year’s Six bowl wins in that same period of time. 

Wisconsin just finished another superb regular season under Chryst. Whatever head coaching turmoil USC is facing, Wisconsin has no such issues. The former Badger who was born and raised in Madison did not do well at Pittsburgh, raising legitimate concerns about his head-coaching chops. Yet, his familiarity with Wisconsin football under Barry Alvarez created a hand-in-glove fit when continues to this day. Chryst has Badger blood flowing through his veins, but more than that, Chryst has ably translated his passion for UW football into quality results.

Through a connection, I reached out to a Badger fan, Lucas Rucks, who offered his assessment of the Chryst hire following Gary Andersen’s departure for Oregon State. 

“In a lot of ways it was the most perfect hire,” Rucks said. “We knew he could play ‘Barry ball’ and there was optimism that he could continue to build on in-state recruiting of linemen and then finding East Coast running backs. Maybe the Badgers will never have the Anderson gimmicks or spread offense, but just like that we were assured of consistent top-ten finishes and bowl appearances in a known system where they recruit three-star athletes and develop to compete against the best in the count.”

That’s what Chryst provided when he took over. He gave Wisconsin a confidence and swagger the Badgers took into the Holiday Bowl against USC. Chryst’s ability to put it all together allowed the Badgers to play a tough USC team to the very wire and then pull out the win. The name value of the opponent wasn’t lost on fans, either. Beating USC was no small thing. Fans took notice when Chryst stepped in and beat the Trojans in his first year. 

“Of course the brand recognition of USC wasn’t lost on us,” Rucks said. “The bright lights, the biggest stage, against a team that is truly elite. They have all of the resources and scandals and rich history. If it had been a mediocre team in the Kraft Fight Hunger bowl game it wouldn’t have been as big of a deal. But when a guy can step in and scheme against the Trojans in a big bowl, it is something special. As much as fans were nervous about the recruiting implications of losing [Andersen], it was equally huge that we were able to beat USC with the guy taking over.

“There’s almost no other team where this would have been as big. Wisconsin had recently beaten Auburn and Florida schools in bowl games past, so I honestly can’t name a team where this would have been a bigger deal for the university. With all that was going on and the recent success regarding national championships and Heisman trophies for USC, it was this win over USC that kept everything on track, and that’s only because it was a win over a program like USC.”

Todd Gurley congratulates former coach Mike Bobo on SC job

Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley congratulates former coach Mike Bobo on new South Carolina offensive coordinator job

Will Muschamp and the South Carolina Gamecocks stole a good one right in front of Kirby Smart and the Dawgs.

As if beating Georgia in Athens wasn’t enough, Muschamp added insult to injury and hired Colorado State head coach and former UGA offensive coordinator and alumni, Mike Bobo.

Bobo spent 14 years on the Georgia coaching staff, 8 of those as the OC.  He played a major role in developing a lot of legendary offensive players at UGA.

One of those players, former Georgia running back Todd Gurley, sent a congrats to Bobo on the new position, even if he’s now a division rival.

Some people found this hire as a shock, as Smart and Bobo’s relationship has always been rock solid.  Bobo was the best man at Smart’s wedding believe it or not.

The South Carolina coaching staff now consists of a few too many Georgia alumni to be comfortable Muschamp and Bobo being two of them.

All Decade Top 25: Notre Dame Good, Not Great

From a national perspective however, what is the biggest win Notre Dame had the last ten seasons?
At Oklahoma in 2012?

As the decade wraps up we’ll have more and more discussion as to the best this, that and the other in regards to college football.

Here on Fighting Irish Wire I’m working with contributor Jeff Feyerer on a ton of lists in regards to the last day decade that we’re excited to soon share and discuss with everyone of our loyal readers.

In the meantime, I stumbled into this list tonight – the top 25 programs of the decade.

I was curious how Notre Dame would rank and I think Berry Werner at Touchdown Wire did a pretty fine job.

No. 16 Notre Dame (91-37)

There are a lot of wins but the losses feel like they always come in the tougher games on the schedule, which has a load of soft spots. Brian Kelly has done a nice job getting the team to bounce back from off-years.

I have trouble arguing much with the ranking. For those curious Werner put the Irish one spot ahead of Michigan and one spot behind Michigan State.

For those curious Alabama was one while Ohio State, Clemson and Oklahoma all checked in just behind.

Oklahoma State was a little curiously ranked ahead of Notre Dame at 13 but it’s easy to forget how good their start of the decade was. It’s also hard to get to upset about a team who has won 10+ games six times in the window being ranked above, especially since they haven’t missed a bowl game since 2005 but for those interested, they have won just one more Big XII Championship in that time than Notre Dame.

Notre Dame has played for one national championship (and gotten destroyed) and made one College Football Playoff in that time, which alone gets them easily in the top-25.

From a national perspective however, what is the biggest win Notre Dame had the last ten seasons?

At Oklahoma in 2012?

Taking Florida State to the wire in 2014 or Clemson to the gun in 2015? Heartbreaking thrillers sure, but still losses.

They’ve had a seat at the table but until they knock off one of these top-five or so teams the perception will remain.

The good news however is that if you were to simply do this same top 25 over the last three seasons how many teams would come ahead of Notre Dame?

Clemson, Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Oklahoma and who else?

It’s the looks of a very good program on the cusp of joining the elites but until that top-five or so matchup is won, you won’t see many chirping for the Irish to be seen in quite the same class.

Amway Coaches Poll: Notre Dame Holds Still

Stack resumes and you can easily make the case that Notre Dame is worthy of a top-10, perhaps top-seven spot.

The final regular season Amway Coaches Poll Powered by USA Today is out and if it offers any hint of how the College Playoff Committee will see things, they’ll fall exactly in line with what we thought they’d be last night.

Here is the latest Amway Coaches Poll Powered by USA Today:

1. LSU

2. Ohio State

3. Clemson

4. Oklahoma

5. Georgia

6. Oregon

7. Florida

8. Baylor

9. Alabama

10. Utah

11. Wisconsin

12. Penn State

13. Auburn

14. Notre Dame

15. Memphis

16. Minnesota

17. Michigan

18. Boise State

19. Iowa

20. Appalachian State

21. Navy

22. Cincinnati

23. USC

24. Air Force

25. Virginia

Stack resumes and you can easily make the case that Notre Dame is worthy of a top-10, perhaps top-seven spot.

However you could also make a case (not saying it’d be correct) that they could be a few slots lower as well.