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The USC-Colorado line was coming in at -22 with the Trojans a huge road favorite due to Colorado’s one-win record.
Sportsbook.com Line & Total: USC -21.5 &
Opening Line & Total: Trojans -22 &
USC tries to bounce back from a triple-OT loss to Stanford when it visits slumping Colorado, losers of six straight SU and ATS, on Friday night.
The Buffaloes are still searching for their first-ever Pac-12 victory, getting outscored 193-47 in the past four defeats. Trojans QB Matt Barkley threw for 284 yards and 3 TD in the near-upset over the Cardinal, giving him 12 TD in the past four games (5 TD to Robert Woods). Buffs QB Tyler Hansen has just 3 TD tosses and 4 INT in his past four games, but should get RB Rodney Stewart (130 total YPG) back from a knee injury. These schools last met in 2002, a 40-3 USC blowout win, and this game should also be lopsided. The Trojans have scored 30+ points in four straight games while the Buffs have allowed 45+ points in each of their past four contests.
The Trojans were certainly impressive on offense last week, scoring 48 points (34 in regulation) against a Stanford team that had been allowing 12.6 PPG. Barkley has 5 TD and 0 INT in his past two road games, and Woods has caught at least eight passes in seven of eight games this season. With top RB Marc Tyler likely to miss this game with a shoulder injury and RB Dillon Baxter kicked off the team, junior Curtis McNeal will continue to get the bulk of carries. Although McNeal’s fumble in overtime sealed the win for Stanford, he rushed for 145 yards on 20 carries (7.3 YPC) and 2 TD in last week’s game. In the past three contests, McNeal has 349 rushing yards on 5.7 YPC.
Although USC’s defense as a whole has not been great this year (376 YPG, 54th in FBS), the Trojans have done pretty well on the road, holding Arizona State, Cal and Notre Dame to a combined 245 rushing yards on 3.2 YPC. They have also forced 11 turnovers in the past four games after having just three takeaways in the season’s first three games.
The Buffaloes not only expect Stewart back in action, but top WR Paul Richardson is also hopeful to suit up despite a knee injury that has kept him off the field for the past four games. Despite all the missed time, Richardson still leads the Buffs in receptions (29), receiving yards (474) and receiving TD (5). Stewart leads the team with 473 rushing yards, but he has been just as valuable as a receiver with 435 receiving yards.
Not only has Colorado been one of the worst defensive teams in the country, ranking 117th in scoring (38.3 PPG) and 100th in total defense (435 YPG), but the return game has also been dreadful. The team is averaging 18.5 yards per kick return (110th in FBS) and 4.8 yards per punt return (104th in FBS).
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
