Washington State vs USC Odds, Picks and Predictions: Trojans Will Pick Apart Cougars Defense

The USC Trojans have dominated the head-to-head series against the Washington State Cougars, but this year’s version of the rivalry has lots of new pieces.

The Cougars are 4-1 with their lone loss being a 3-point fall to the Oregon Ducks. USC is undefeated with only one game being decided by less than 13 points. Will Washington State give the Trojans their first loss of the season?

Find out in our free college football betting picks and predictions for Washington State vs. USC on Saturday, October 8.

Washington State vs USC best odds

Washington State vs USC picks and predictions

USC made several changes in the offseason after bringing in former Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley to take over the program. Riley even brought with him his former OU quarterback Caleb Williams.

Williams has gotten off to a great start in Los Angeles, throwing for 1,402 passing yards with 12 touchdowns and only one interception. He also has added 144 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. It helps that Williams also has a stud wideout to target in Pittsburgh transfer Jordan Addison. He has 29 catches for 442 yards and six touchdowns thus far this season.

Meanwhile, the Washington State defense has struggled to stop opposing passing attacks. The Cougars rank 119th in passing yards allowed per game (291.3 ypg). They also rank 122nd in passing completion percentage allowed at 68.24%. The one positive note is that they have allowed only seven passing touchdowns while forcing five interceptions.

However, this will be the best quarterback they have faced this season by a large margin. Jack Plummer (Cal) and Bo Nix (Oregon) are solid, but not at the level of Williams. Oregon ranks 54th in passing offense and Cal ranks 61st. Meanwhile, USC ranks 31st in the country. This will be the toughest matchup yet for a defense that already has struggled in this category.

Washington State can hold its own offensively, as the Cougars rank 18th in passing offense. QB Cam Ward has 1,440 passing yards for 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions on the season to go along with one touchdown on the ground. 

However, the Trojans rank 31st in passing defense and can get after the quarterback, recording 3.8 sacks per game. Williams is going to pick apart this defense and Washington State is going to need to light up the scoreboard to keep up. While the Cougars proved they can do that against Oregon, this USC defense will be much tougher.

I like the Trojans to pull away late and win by three scores or more.

My best bet: USC -12.5 (-107 at PointsBet)

Washington State vs USC spread analysis

Another major factor to consider in this matchup is the turnover margins of each team. The Trojans have the number-one ranked turnover margin in the country at +2.8 per game.

Meanwhile, Washington State ranks 100th in the nation at -0.8 per game. USC has only turned the ball over once all season and Washington State is not the type of defense to change that. Cougars' defensive back Jordan Lee is also questionable to even suit up on Saturday.

USC may only be 3-2 against the spread this season, but the Trojans covered a very similar game to this at home against Fresno State by a whopping 16.5 points.

This matchup may provide similar results. The Trojans are 4-1 ATS in their last five games on grass and they have two major mismatches here. They will win the turnover battle and pick apart the Washington State secondary. Getting this spread under two touchdowns seems too easy based on the matchups.

Washington State vs USC Over/Under analysis

This total opened at 61, but has skyrocketed up to 66. I am sure the Washington State/Oregon game is playing a big factor here, where there were 85 points scored.

The Over is 8-1 in the last nine home games for USC. However, the Oregon game is the only game for WSU this season that has gone Over the total.

Washington State struggles to run the ball and USC has a good pass defense. USC also does not turn the ball over, which will make it hard for the Cougars to score against a defense that only allows 19.6 points per game. USC will put up some points, but Washington State will not meet its end of the bargain to reach the Over.

I like the Under here.

Washington State vs USC betting trend to know

The Trojans are 5-2 ATS in their last seven home games against a team with a winning road record. Find more NCAA betting trends for Washington State vs. USC.

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