USC Trojans vs. California Golden Bears Game Preview and Prediction
Written by Matthew Regaw
Tue, 11 Oct 2011
Category sportsbook
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Thursday night college football will be a battle of two teams from the Pac-12 as the USC Trojans and the California Golden Bears will play in prime time.
This will be the second prime time game in a row for the Golden Bears. They played last Thursday against the Oregon Ducks and look to improve on their outing this time around.
The college football odds for this game have been released and the Trojans opened up as four point road favorites. The betting public jumped on this play early at 77%, and smart money hit up the Golden Bears, forcing lines-makers to drop this line to 3.5.
The USC Trojans will have plenty to prove as they have been less than impressive in the last few outings. Since the team is playing under a suspension for NCAA violations, getting up for televised games like this, is what makes their season interesting. The problem is they don't have the talent to back it up.
Cal QB Zach Maynard and Trojan QB Matt Barkley should be involved in a big time, high-scoring game. Both signal callers have played well this year and the offenses have easily moved the ball all over the field.
The main difference in this game will be on defense and that is where Cal has the edge. They are very physical upfront and play well against the run. They struggled against the Ducks running game, but they have one of the quickest running games in the country. USC does not have that same type of talent and Cal will bottle them up.
The Golden Bears have a secondary that is very smart. They know how to read opposing offenses and tackle well. The key will be to avoid the mistakes that allow the big plays.
The sports betting trends favor the home team in this game. The Trojans are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games as a road favorite and 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game. The Golden Bears are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 home games against a team with a winning road record and 20-9-1 ATS in their last 30 games after accumulating more than 280 yards passing in their previous game.
The Golden Bears are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 home games and they could win this game on the field in a high-scoring game in front of the home fans.
College Football sports betting picks: Cal Golden Bears +4