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The Oregon vs. USC betting line has the Ducks as a -8.5 favorite heading into Week 10 of College Football. All odds can be found at Sportsbook.com here, which was offering up to $250 in FREE CASH.
Sportsbook.ag Line: Oregon -8.5 & 70
Opening Line & Total: Ducks -7 & 70
The two preseason favorites in the Pac-12 meet up Saturday night when No. 4 Oregon visits No. 17 USC.
Since 2000, each team is 5-5 SU in this series. Last season, USC went into Eugene as a 15-point underdog and came away with a 38-35 victory that knocked Oregon out of national title contention. Matt Barkley threw for 323 yards and 4 TD in that day, but he tossed two picks in last week’s 39-36 loss at Arizona. The unbeaten Ducks have beaten five Pac-12 foes by an average score of 53 to 16 this year. They also have back-to-back games of 400+ rushing yards, and ran for 311 yards in the last visit to L.A., a 53-32 win in 2010. The Trojans are desperate here and have played much better in Los Angeles this season where they have outscored opponents 126 to 25. USC is 6-2-1 ATS in its past nine home games, and also 27-13 ATS (68%) after having won 6 or 7 out of their last 8 games since 1992. The Ducks have not beaten a great team yet, and freshman QB Marcus Mariota will feel the pressure from a Trojans pass rush that ranks tied for sixth in the nation in sacks (3.4 per game).
Marcus Mariota has attempted only 26 passes in the past two weeks, but he's completed 19 of those for 182 yards and 3 TD. Mariota has run for 157 yards and 2 TD during this stretch where Oregon is just pounding the football on the ground. Kenjon Barner has four straight 100-yard rushing games, scoring a total of nine touchdowns in this span, while De'Anthony Thomas (11 total TD this year) is coming off 97 rushing yards on just five carries in a 70-14 demolition of Colorado. Both players scored twice in last year's win over USC, with Barner rushing for 123 yards (8.2 YPC) and 2 TD and Thomas scoring on a TD reception and a 96-yard kickoff return. The Ducks' offense gets all the press, but their defense very strong this season too, allowing less than 20 points per game (19.4) and racking up 2.9 sacks and 7.4 Tackles For Loss per game.
Barkley is coming off a career-high 493 passing yards in the loss to Arizona, a game where he completed 31-of-49 passes, including three touchdowns. Although the level of competition hasn't been great at home (Hawaii, California and Colorado), Barkley has thrown 12 touchdowns and just two picks in his three games in Los Angeles. He continues to focus on his two main targets, WRs Marqise Lee and Robert Woods. Lee, who is coming off a ridiculous 16-catch, 345-yard, 2-TD performance last week, caught eight passes for 187 yards and a TD in last year's meeting with Oregon. Woods was also a busy man versus the Ducks with seven catches for 53 yards and two scores. USC ranks an underwhelming 75th in the nation in rushing offense (155 YPG), and leading rusher Silas Redd (80 rush YPG, 6th in Pac-12) has been given just 16 carries in the past two weeks, gaining 70 yards and a touchdown. USC's defense has 27 sacks this season, led by Morgan Breslin's seven sacks plus 5.5 sacks from Leonard Williams. Despite this fierce pass rush, opposing quarterbacks continue to throw all over the Trojans with an average of 243 passing YPG.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
