In continuing our college football odds coverage, we’re going to release our Cal-USC prediction by using the latest odds and tools available to us via Oddsshopper.
Cal-USC Prediction and Odds
Throughout the season so far, the PAC-12 has proven that it is one of the elite conferences in the country as 5 teams cracked the top-25 in the first College Football Playoff rankings. This is also a conference that has seem some surprises and also some of the most exciting games of the year so far.
The Cal Golden Bears are set to take on the USC Trojans for a “PAC-12 After Dark” matchup on Saturday night. USC comes in with a 7-1 record and needs to win out in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. Cal comes in on a 4-game losing streak and is in danger of letting the rest of this season slip away from them. Kickoff is set for a 9:30pm CST kick and we should be in for another electric late-night contest.
CFB odds: California-USC Odds
California: +21 (-105)
USC: -21 (-115)
California 61 (-110)
Under: 61 (-110)
Slow Start for Cal
At 3-5, Cal must turn their performance around, and fast. Throughout this 4-game losing streak, these haven’t necessarily been close games. Each loss has been by 7 or more points, and they now sit at 1-4 in conference play as they have not recorded a win since September. The weakness for USC is their defense, and Cal will need to exploit this if they want a chance on Saturday night.
It looks like Jack Plummer will be getting the start at quarterback for the Golden Bears on Saturday, as the senior has thrown for 1,968 yards on the year. This is a Cal team who ranks 10th in the conference in total offense and Plummer has been sacked 25 times on the year which raises concern, as the Trojans rank 10th in the country in sacks per game. While USC is the far superior team here, it is going to take Cal playing their best game of the season to keep things close in this ball game.
High Scoring Trojans Take the Stage
It has been a fun year for the USC Trojans and for first year head coach Lincoln Riley. A 43-42 loss is the only blemish on an otherwise phenomenal resume so far for this team. The last game for the Trojans was another dominant performance, as they rolled Arizona 45-37.
Caleb Williams, who is still in the Heisman discussion, was sensational as he threw for 411 yards and 5 touchdowns. Not only were the Trojans dynamic through the air, they also dominated on the ground as well for 210 yards. What is going to set the Trojans apart the rest of the way is them cleaning up their defensive performance. USC has given up over 400 yards per game (YPG) and they still have some explosive offenses to line up against the rest of the way. With a struggling Cal team, the Trojans should light it up on their home turf Saturday night.
Final Cal-USC Prediction & Pick
This game is going to be another electric performance from one of the elite programs in the country with USC. On Saturday night, the Trojans will not be short of points, and I am taking a look at their team total as I like the Trojans to score over 40.5 total points as a solid bet for this weekend. This is a team who is 8th in the country in yards per game and 6th in the country in points per game. I see them dominating against this Cal team. For the spread, it is fairly large, but I like the Trojans covering on Saturday as they are 5-3 against the spread on the year so far. This is a Cal team who hasn’t been able to get back on the right track and they’ve only been scoring just over 23 points per game which will make keeping up with an elite USC offense incredibly difficult. Back the Trojans to cover on Saturday
Final Cal-USC Predictions: USC Team Total Over 40.5 Points (-125), USC -21 (-115)
