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The Utah Utes (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) and USC Trojans (6-1, 4-0) meet Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (FOX). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Utah vs. USC odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
The Utes have certainly missed QB Cam Rising (knee) on offense, and he remains out indefinitely while recovering from the brutal knee injury he suffered in the Rose Bowl against Penn State. He recently revealed that he tore his ACL, meniscus, medial patellofemoral ligament, as well as his MCL. As a result, it’s been QB Bryson Barnes and Nate Johnson holding down the fort under center.
Utah is still ranked high, and it has leaned upon its defense hard to get to this point. The Utes pounded Cal 34-14, bouncing back from a 21-7 loss at Oregon State the game before. While the offense has been held to 24 or fewer points 4 times, the defense has allowed 14 or fewer in 5 of 6 outings.
USC was humbled at Notre Dame last weekend, getting blasted 48-20. QB Caleb Williams might have fallen out of the Heisman frontrunner spot. More importantly, the team’s playoff chances might’ve taken a giant hit, although the loss to the Irish was not in conference. The team is very much alive and well for the Pac-12 Conference Championship Game, which could potentially be a marquee game against Washington.
Utah is No. 14 and USC is No. 16 in the US LBM Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
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Utah at USC odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:22 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Utah +200 (bet $100 to win $200) | USC -250 (bet $250 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Utah +7 (-110) | USC -7 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 51.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Utah at USC picks and predictions
Prediction
USC 29, Utah 26
Moneyline
USC (-250) is going to be angry after getting embarrassed at Notre Dame last weekend, but can it do anything about it? The Trojans cannot stop anybody on defense, and that’s a major issue against marquee teams. This defense has allowed 43.3 PPG across the past 3 outings, and Utah (+200) has to be licking its collective chops, even with 2 backup QBs potentially seeing time if Rising remains sidelined.
You can’t risk 2½ times your potential return on a team which was just whipped by 28 points, but you can’t really risk playing Utah, either, as Rising could be rusty if he did play, and Barnes and Johnson are just serviceable.
AVOID.
Against the spread
UTAH +7 (-110) has dominated this rivalry lately, including a pair of victories last season to spoil the season for USC -7 (-110).
Revenge will be a huge factor for the Trojans, and the Utes are still likely missing Rising. The USC defense just cannot get it together, and therefore Utah should always be in the game. Take the Utes to at least keep it within 1 score, although it’s not hard to envision another outright win.
Over/Under
OVER 51.5 (-115) is worth a look, although go lightly.
Again, USC has allowed 43.3 PPG across the past 3 games, with at least 41 points in each outing. However, Utah doesn’t have an offense capable of giant splash plays. They use a methodical offense and smothering defense to get the job done, so that’s concerning to Over bettors.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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