Stanford vs Southern Cal NCAA Football Odds
The Stanford Cardinal are riding high after their 26-20 takedown of the No. 2 Oregon Ducks last weekend, but their Week 12 opponents have plenty of confidence themselves entering this matchup.
No. 4 Stanford (8-1, 6-1 Pac-12) @ USC (7-3, 4-2)
Saturday, Nov. 16 8:00 PM ET @ Los Angeles Coliseum
Spread: Stanford -4
O/U: 46
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The USC Trojans are 4-1 since firing head coach Lane Kiffin, and they have a new life about them with the year entering the final stretch.
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Taking down the Cardinal would be icing on the cake, and they’ll have home-field advantage to try and make it happen.
Stanford
We’ve all heard about great teams coming off of crucial wins and dealing with a hangover the next week. The hope is that Stanford can avoid that hangover and take down another quality competitor in the process.
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History is on the side of the Cardinal, as they’ve won four straight competitions between these two. They’ve also won three straight on the Trojans’ home field, including a triple-overtime thriller that took place in 2011.
Entering this game, both teams have become known for their defenses. Stanford and USC are 18th and 19th respectively in points allowed per game, but the difference is that the Cardinal have a rushing attack that has killed their opponents up to this point. With Tyler Gaffney leading the way (13 TD, 1,043 YDS), the team is 28th in rushing. It is averaging 205 yards per contest on the ground, which has made up for its anemic passing attack (183.2 YPG).
Look for the Cardinal to try and control the pace of this game with long, drawn-out drives on each and every possession.
USC
If the Trojans have any chance of winning—and they certainly do—they have to stop the run. USC grows its linemen big, which makes it a true competitor in this type of matchup. The problem is that Stanford is also known for having some big boys on its side, meaning the Trojans’ secondary must step up.
Containing Stanford’s offense is going to be important, but with this matchup looking like a grind-it-out, old-school battle, USC must open up the playbook on offense and surprise the Cardinal. That doesn’t mean trick plays every quarter, but it does mean taking shots down field and staying away from the traditional runs up the middle whenever the play calls for it.
Part of the big-play threat must come from special teams. More specifically, defending special teams will be crucial, as easy points for the Cardinal will ruin all hopes for USC. Soma Vainuku has been fantastic in that category this season, and if Stanford has trouble finding good field position off of punts and kickoffs, he’ll likely be the reason why.
This game has the makings of a classic written all over it, and it’s easy to see why people are picking the Trojans as an upset in some circles. That said, the Cardinal are a very good, physical team, and nobody should be surprised when they walk away with a victory both straight up and against the spread this weekend.
Prediction: Stanford 31 – USC 23
