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Fresno St. vs. USC 2013 Las Vegas Bowl Betting Predictions & Preview

Fresno State vs USC NCAA Football Betting Odds

The No. 20 Fresno State Bulldogs and the No. 25 USC Trojans are slated to face off on Saturday, Dec. 21 in the Las Vegas Bowl. For Fresno State, it will try and prove that it can take down a talented team from a bigger conference following a relatively easy schedule.

No. 20 Fresno State (11-1, 7-1 MW) vs. No. 25 USC (9-4, 6-3)
Venue: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
Sat, Dec. 21 3:30 PM ET @ Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
Spread: USC -6.5
Over/Under: 62.5
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For USC, it will look to show that the winning streak in the second half of the season was no fluke.

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The Trojans will be favored in this one, but remember, the Bulldogs were nearly in a BCS bowl before their untimely loss to San Jose State.

Fresno State

Fresno State is having one of its best seasons to date, and a victory over an opponent from the Pac-12 would be icing on the cake. To begin the year, the Bulldogs won their first 10 games. Quarterback Derrick Car is the biggest reason why, as he tallied nearly 5,000 yards and 48 touchdowns. As a result, FSU is the No. 1 passing team in the country (409.8 yards per game), and you shouldn’t expect them to deviate from what got them where they are.

History gives the Trojans the advantage here, as they are 7-2 ATS in their last nine bowl games. The Bulldogs are just 1-5 ATS in their past six bowl games, so they’ll need to be driven once kickoff finally comes around.
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Furthermore, FSU was just 5-7 ATS throughout the entire 2013 college football season. They went 11-1 straight up on the year, but the odds are clearly in favor of USC, as it enters as nearly a touchdown favorite.

USC

USC may have the historical advantage in this one, but both teams should be more concerned with current events. For USC, that means stopping the most potent passing attack in the entire country.

On the year, the Trojans made a name for themselves on defense. Their offense struggled in almost every aspect of the game—or was mediocre at best—but the defense allowed just 341.2 yards per game, which was good enough for 16th in the nation.

Against the pass, USC held its opponents to 214.5 yards per outing. That number was good enough for 33rd in the FBS, and while it was better at defending the run, this game will feature an incredible passing offense versus a very good passing defense.

On offense, the Trojans will likely look to pound the football up the middle of the field with its run game, but look for that strategy to ultimately open up the pass. The Bulldogs are 41st in the country at defending the run, but they’re just 118th when it comes to defending the pass.

FSU has a good chance of covering the spread if it can break USC’s secondary, but one thing we know is that the Trojans’ offense, as much as they struggled, will score points. Look for USC to come in motivated on defense, which will be the difference maker when it’s all said and done.

Prediction: USC -6.5

By Cappers Picks

Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"