A Pac-12 battle will tuck us in on Friday night, when the USC Trojans (8-1) host the Colorado Buffaloes (1-8) at 9:30 p.m. ET in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The game will be broadcasted on FS1.
Let’s be clear: USC should roll and this game likely won’t be worth watching until the end. With the spread around five touchdowns, the Trojans need style points to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. But is there a strong angle for bettors to attack on Friday’s matchup?
Be sure to check out our OddsShopper tool for the best odds on this week’s college football slate.
College Football Odds: Colorado-USC Betting Lines
Las Vegas oddsmakers opened USC as a 34-point favorite, but the spread has shifted to 34.5 points at most sportsbooks ever since. The Trojans are 5-4 against the spread, but this would be their largest spread of the season. Colorado is 2-7 against the spread on the year.
As for the total, the line has climbed from 64.5 to 66.5 over the course of the week. Both of these teams have been profitable for Over bettors, as each squad is 6-3 to the Over entering Friday’s conference clash.
Can Colorado Score Against USC?
When looking at the total of 66.5, bettors might want to first focus on Lincoln’s Riley high-octane offense. However, for this total to finish Over, the Buffaloes will need to do their part, and that’s been easier said than done of late.
Colorado has a team total of 16.5 points, a mark this team has cleared just four times thus far. The Buffaloes are averaging 15.6 points per game, which ranks 129th out of 131 teams. They are averaging 4.6 yards per play, putting them 113th in all of college football.
Yet Colorado could have one of its better offensive games this week, illustrating how bad the USC defense has been. The Trojans have surrendered 35 or more points in three consecutive games and are giving up an average of 25.2 points per contest. USC has only held three opponents under the 17-point mark so far this season.
Will Trojans Go For Style Points?
USC has a meeting with UCLA on deck, but this team can’t afford to look ahead to next week’s matchup. The Trojans are No. 8 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, a feat that has been criticized by the masses.
The Trojans can silence the critics over the next few weeks, but it seems like they need to crush the Buffaloes on Friday night to start. UCLA secured a 45-17 win over Colorado, but we just haven’t seen USC dominate inferior opponents the same way. The Trojans are coming off one-score wins over both Arizona and California.
Conventional wisdom would be to back the underdog with a five-touchdown spread, especially given the way USC has been playing. But the Trojans might need to make a statement with everybody watching on Friday.
Final Colorado-USC Prediction and Pick
It is tough to trust the Trojans’ defense, but they should be able to keep the Buffaloes from finding too much offensive production. Colorado has only cleared 16.5 once over the last three outings.
The Trojans might end up calling off the dogs earlier than expected, so the under on the point total is certainly worth a look. USC’s defense will have its best showing since holding California to just 13 points on Oct. 15.
Colorado-USC Prediction: Colorado UNDER 16.5 points (-120) at FanDuel
