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Once the darlings of oddsmakers, the USC Trojans looked invincible early on until they actually lost a game and since that time they have carried a record of 8-1. The Trojans have a better chance than just about anyone else to make it into the BCS Championship, yet they continue to fly under the radar (odd as that may seem). USC's payout odds with a 2009 BCS win would be $500 for every $100 bet at Sportsbook.com
USC turned in another defensive work of art, beating Cal 17-3, but there still will be grumbling about the lack of offensive production.
"I don't care about style points," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "I don't care about impressing anybody. I don't want to win a popularity contest. That's what it feels like at times."
Well, the BCS is a bit of a popularity contest, and USC still has a lot of work to do in order to look prettier. The Trojans got a glimmer of hope when previously undefeated Penn State lost, but USC-sixth in the BCS standings-still needs chaos in the SEC and/or the Big 12 to elevate to a spot in the national title game.
USC has three games remaining, none against ranked teams-at Stanford, vs. Notre Dame and at UCLA.
Blowouts would help USC's cause, but that was going to be hard to pull off against Cal, which also has a fine and fast defense. The Trojans went conservative on offense and let the defense do the heavy lifting.
"You don't realize we were very concerned about their defense taking the ball away," Carroll said. "We didn't want Mark (Sanchez) throwing the ball downfield. This was a very big challenge for Mark."
There is one problem: Stanford beat USC last year 24-23 and they are 4-6 in this series dating back to 1998. Stanford is 5-5 this season. They were a +39 road dog last season with that shocking upset and this time they are a +23 underdog at home.
Mary Montgomery, Gambling911.com
