Washington State (3-0) at USC (1-2)
When: Friday, September 21st 2018
Where: L.A. Memorial Coliseum,
Los Angeles, California
Time: 10:30 ET | TV: ESPN
Opening Odds: USC -5/52.5
The Southern California Trojans’ season is already starting to slip way after a 1-2 start that has head coach Clay Helton clearly on the hot seat as they enter a Pac-12 battle with the Washington State Cougars on Friday night at the L.A. Coliseum. The Trojans opened the season with a lackluster 43-21 victory over lowly UNLV, then went on the road and couldn’t generate anything offensively in losses to Stanford (17-3) and Texas (37-14). Helton has been in this spot before when the Trojans were 3-2 in 2015 when he took for over for Steve Sarkisian and eventually won the Pac-12 South with an 8-4 record. In 2016, he started 3-2 en route to a 10-3 finish and a 52-49 Rose Bowl win over Saquon Barkley and Penn State. USC is being guided by a true freshman at quarterback in JT Daniels and a number of key injuries or suspensions on the offensive line and in the secondary have attributed to the sluggish start. Washington State, which has won two of the last three meetings with the Trojans, has cruised to easy wins over Wyoming (41-19), San Jose State (31-0) and FCS opponent Eastern Washington (59-24) heading into its Pac-12 opener. The road team has covered five of the last six in this series.
The Washington Sate offense has picked up right were it left off despite the departure of Pac-12 record-setting quarterback Luke Falk. East Carolina grad transfer Gardner Minshew II earned conference Offensive Player of the Week honors after throwing for a career-high 470 yards on 45-of-57 passing and two touchdowns and no interceptions in the win over Eastern Washington. Wide receiver Travell Harris was named Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week after returning a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and leads the conference with a 37-yard average on kickoff returns. Running back James Williams rushed for three touchdowns in the win over Eastern Washington, the first Cougar to do that since Carl Winston in the Apple Cup against Washington in 2012.
The freshman Daniels is still getting his feet wet in the national College Football scene and has completed 67-of-117 passes for 819 yards and just one TD while being intercepted three times. The Trojan running game hasn’t helped him at all, ranking 116th nationally with an average of just 109.3 yards per game and 3.6 yards per attempt. In last week’s loss at Texas, USC finished with minus-five yards rushing on 16 attempts. The banged-up defense will be without star DE/LB Porter Gustin, who had two sacks at Texas, for the first half after a targeting penalty in the second half against the Longhorns and two starters at safety in Bubba Bolden (suspended) and Isaiah Pola-Mao (dislocated shoulder).
USC is a real mess right now with the injuries, anemic offense, and a head coach that has a lot of pressure on him. The Trojans have also not been a very good cover team under Helton, going 3-14-1 against the number in their last 18. The Cougars have started the season better than most expected and I can see them pulling off a victory Friday.
Pick: Washington State +4
Betting Trends:
- Cougars are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game.
- Cougars are 5-0 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
- Cougars are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games in September.
- Cougars are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
- Cougars are 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
- Cougars are 17-6 ATS in their last 23 games following a ATS win.
- Cougars are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games after accumulating less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
- Cougars are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games overall.
- Cougars are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a straight up win.
- Cougars are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
- Cougars are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games.
- Cougars are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 Friday games.
- Cougars are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games on grass.
- Trojans are 14-5 ATS in their last 19 games following a straight up loss.
- Trojans are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
- Trojans are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game.
- Trojans are 7-19-1 ATS in their last 27 games following a straight up loss of more than 20 points.
- Trojans are 2-7 ATS vs. a team with a winning record.
- Trojans are 3-14-1 ATS in their last 18 games overall.
- Trojans are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 home games.
- Trojans are 1-9-1 ATS in their last 11 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
- Trojans are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 Friday games.
- Trojans are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a ATS loss.
- Trojans are 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 conference games.
- Trojans are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games in September.
- Trojans are 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 games on grass.
- Over is 5-0 in Cougars last 5 road games.
- Over is 5-1 in Cougars last 6 games overall.
- Under is 5-1-1 in Cougars last 7 Friday games.
- Over is 5-1 in Cougars last 6 games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game.
- Over is 5-1 in Cougars last 6 games on grass.
- Over is 4-1 in Cougars last 5 games following a straight up win.
- Over is 4-1 in Cougars last 5 games following a ATS win.
- Over is 4-1 in Cougars last 5 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
- Over is 4-1 in Cougars last 5 games after accumulating less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
- Under is 5-2 in Cougars last 7 games after scoring more than 40 points in their previous game.
- Over is 4-0 in Trojans last 4 games after scoring less than 20 points in their previous game.
- Over is 4-1 in Trojans last 5 home games.
- Over is 6-2 in Trojans last 8 games on grass.
- Over is 6-2 in Trojans last 8 games following a straight up loss of more than 20 points.
- Over is 20-7-2 in Trojans last 29 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
- Over is 8-3 in Trojans last 11 games overall.
- Over is 5-2 in Trojans last 7 games following a ATS loss.
- Over is 5-2 in Trojans last 7 vs. a team with a winning record.
- Over is 5-2 in Trojans last 7 conference games.
- Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Southern California.
- Road team is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings.
- Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
