Trojans vs Huskies NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
The USC Trojans and Washington Huskies both struggled early in their week six matchup, but the difference is, only one of them made a storming comeback. The Trojans are coming off a victory that saw them recover after being down 21-10, while the Huskies trailed 21-0 in the first quarter and lost by 31 points.
No. 11 USC Trojans (4-1) vs Washington Huskies (3-1)
Saturday October 13, 2012
Century Link Field, SEATLLE, WA
7:00 PM ET
Moneyline: USC -465, Washington +365 from Sportsbettingonline.ag
Spread: USC -125
O/U: 54.5
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Each team still has a shot at the Pac-12 championship game, but getting past each other this week is the first step in making that happen.
Washington Huskies
The Washington Huskies are coming off a brutal showing against the Oregon Ducks, so returning to Century Link Field is exactly what they need. The last time the team was home, they took down Stanford, but the team is in the midst of one of the toughest stretches in all of college football, and USC won’t exactly be a walk in the park.
Washington’s running game is going to be crucial in this game. Bishop Sankey has look great as of late, but if he can break out again early, it could help finally open up Keith Price for the big-time performance fans in Seattle have been waiting for.
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If the Stanford Cardinal and the Utah Utes have done anything for college football this season, it’s show that the USC Trojans can be challenged when you get pressure on Matt Barkley with the big men up front. Washington must overpower the opposing line in order to win this game, which isn’t something we’ve seen week in and week out thus far.
Century Link Field has played host to some wild turnouts as of late, but Washington must take advantage of a struggling USC pass defense with Price staying aggressive.
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans came out uncharacteristically flat against the Utah Utes last weekend, but in the end, Matt Barkley showed why he still deserves Heisman consideration at this point in the season. The team gave up the first two touchdowns early in the first quarter following botched snaps that led to fumble recoveries for the Utes. Barkley, however, never wavered from the game plan, as he ended up throwing for 300-plus yards and three touchdowns en route to a USC comeback.
The lesson to be learned here for the Washington Huskies is that if you can catch USC in a bind early, you must take advantage. Despite their loss in week three to the Stanford Cardinal, the Trojans are still Pac-12 title contenders—and maybe even BCS championship contenders if the cards start to fall their way. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Keeping Keith Price in check is going to be key for USC this weekend, especially considering how their pass defense has looked as of late. The Washington quarterback has struggled, but when he throws for 175 yards or more, the team is 2-0—they’re 0-3 when he throws for less than 175 yards.
The team from Los Angeles is scoring 34 points per game while allowing just 19.4, which doesn’t bode well for a Washington team that is scoring just 22.8 and allowing 26.2. The good news for the Huskies is that they’ve hung in tight over the years when they face off against the Trojans. While there are a couple of exceptions to that claim, Washington has held their own against the mighty team from California, and home-field advantage should help keep them close this time around.
Trends
Huskies are 7-1-1 ATS in their last 9 games after accumulating less than 170 yards passing in their previous game
Huskies are 8-2-1 ATS in their last 11 games after allowing more than 40 points in their previous game.
Under is 4-0 in Huskies last 4 home games.
Under is 5-1 in Huskies last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
O/U Pick: Under 54.5
Score Prediction: USC 30 – Washington 21
