The USC Trojans will be looking for revenge when they host the Utah Utes this Saturday. Last season, Utah knocked off USC in the Beehive State to send the Trojans to a 1-3 start. It put Clay Helton’s job in jeopardy not long after he took over in Los Angeles and raised question about where the program was headed. This year, people are expecting a Trojans win, but this team has not been impressive this season. A loss would certainly leave them on the outside looking in for the College Football Playoff no matter what they do the rest of the year.
Kickoff for this regular season Week 7 game is set for Saturday, October 14, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at L.A. Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. This game will be broadcast on ABC.
College Football Opening Odds at BookMaker.eu
Utah +13
USC -13
Odds Analysis
The Trojans have only been able to cover the spread once all season long and have failed to cover in each of their last four games. USC has only won games convincingly this entire season, Stanford and Oregon State, but has struggled against everyone else. Under has been a huge winner lately for the Trojans, cashing in each of their last four games.
Utah is 4-1, but no one is really talking about the Utes after they lost to Stanford last week. The Utes started the season with four straight wins and four straight covers, thanks to a solid defense that wasn’t allowing opponents to have much success. However, the offense has had some ups and downs, especially since Tyler Huntley was injured.
Key Injury
Tyler Huntley was unable to play against Stanford last week due to a shoulder injury suffered in Utah’s win over Arizona two weeks ago. In his stead Troy Williams got the start, and he had some trouble moving the ball against the Cardinal defense. Williams completed just 51 percent of his passes and threw two costly interceptions in the loss.
The Utes need a healthy Huntley if they are going to potentially pull off the upset. He has a greater command of the offense and has been a far better passer than Williams this season. Huntley has completed 73 percent of his passes and has three times as many touchdown passes as interceptions. He has been able to move the ball consistently for this offense, and his presence makes this team much more balanced.
Last Meeting
All is not lost if Williams does end up starting. He did lead Utah to the win over USC last season, and was very efficient against this defense. He ended up throwing for 270 yards and two scores and led a fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Trojans in Salt Lake City.
Of the three stars for USC in that game last season, only one is still on campus. Adoree Jackson and Juju Smith-Schuster are both in the NFL now, leaving Darnold as the only one left.
Darnold was good in that game, but has been far from good this season. He has thrown at least one interception in every game, and is one shy of the interception leader so far this season.
Free ATS Pick
Utah’s defense has been very consistent this season, something that can’t be said about USC. The Trojans have been unable to stop any team outside of Oregon State, and that’s very concerning considering what’s left on their schedule. This defense is outside of the Top 40 in every major category, despite playing just one good offense.
It feels like this spread is in large part a reflection of preseason rankings. USC is not playing good football and shouldn’t be this big of a favorite here. Utah is good enough to keep this close and perhaps pull off the upset.
College Football Odds: USC 31, Utah 28
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