While this is not a college football playoff game, it does feature—arguably—the two hottest teams in the country in the Penn State Nittany Lions and USC Trojans. It is also the Rose Bowl which in itself always brings plenty of history and intrigue. Both offenses are rolling, too, which could lead to a high scoring affair making this a very interesting game for betting purposes.
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Rose Bowl Odds at BookMaker.eu
Penn State +6.5
USC -6.5
Over/Under 62
When Penn State Has the Ball…
The Penn State offense is rolling with at least 38-points in each of their last six games, averaging 45 in that span.
Trace McSorley has collected 3,360 yards with 25 touchdowns and five interceptions. The Trojans have Adoree’ Jackson to contend with, but McSorely has a collection of receivers in Chris Goodwin, Mike Gesicki, DeaSean Hamilton and DeAndre Thompkins all with at least 25 catches and 400 yards. The foursome have 15 combined touchdown receptions as well.
The Nittany Lions are a stronger offense in the air, but still depend on a strong running game behind Saquon Barkley. Barkley has rushed for 1,302 yards with 16 touchdowns and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry. McSorley is a dual threat quarterback himself and has six rushing touchdowns and 352 yards on the ground.
All in all, Barkley is a constant threat for Penn State. He’s the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and for good reason. He’s not one that avoids tackles, but instead is one that can make contact and bounce out of tackles to squeeze out a few extra yards.
He’ll have a difficult time against lineman Steve Tu’ikolovatu. He’s got 45 tackles and is an excellent tackler. If he’s able to get his hands on Barkley he should be able to bring him down. It’ll be a key matchup between these two and should get very physical when they come into contact.
When Team Southern California Has the Ball…
The Trojans offense has been nearly unstoppable over the last part of the season. After a 3-1 start, this team has been undefeated and they’ve scored at least 36 in five of their last six games and at least 40 in five of their last eight.
USC’s offense is rather balanced in the air and on the ground. On the ground, Ronald Jones is averaging 6.5 yards per carry and leads the team with 1,027 yards and 11 scores though there are other strong options as well that’ll likely see a few carries.
Jones has been on fire the later part of the year with four 100-yard games in his last six. The Penn State front seven will have a challenge hold him down, but safety Marcus Allen should be there to bring him down. Allen has 101 tackles with six coming behind the line. He’s forced a number of fumbles, too. Watch this matchup to see if Penn State can limit Jones’ production and the USC running game.
Meanwhile, in the air, Sam Darnold will have to contend with Penn State’s John Reid. Reid has been a major obstacle for QBs all season and could shutdown JuJu Smith-Schuster if given the assignment.
The X Factor
These offenses are hot and will score, but the X-Factor will come on the defensive end of the gridiron. This game should be determined by which team can do the most damage on defense; forcing turnovers and notching key stops on third down.
USC has been very good at preventing long plays on defense. The opposition can, from time to time, string together nice long drives, moving the chains slowly but surely. Adoree’ Jackson is a playmaker in the USC secondary and a big reason the defense has allowed the second fewest plays of 10 or more yards in the Pac-12. Jackson will look to affect the game on both defense and special teams.
Another potential X-Factor is the motivation for the Nittany Lions. Penn State just missed out on a College Football Playoff berth. This could go either way as James Franklin could have them come out fired up looking to prove the committee wrong. Or, this team could come out dejected.
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