USC at Colorado: 10/2/21 College Football Picks and Predictions
Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Colorado Buffaloes (1-3) vs USC Trojans (2-2)
Game Info: Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 2:00 pm (Folsom Field)
Betting Odds: Colorado Buffaloes +7.5 -- Over/Under: 51 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The USC Trojans and Colorado Buffaloes face off on Saturday in a Pac 12 week 5 college football showdown at Folsom Field. Last time these two teams played was in 2019 and USC came away with the 35-31 victory.
The USC Trojans have a 2-2 record overall, but this is clearly a team with some issues. In the last game against Oregon State, the defense really struggled giving up 45 points and that led to the blowout defeat. One of the big issues in the last game was the turnovers. Quarterback Kedon Slovis completed 31 of his 49 passes for 355 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. USC on the season is averaging 32.5 points while their defense is giving up 27 points. Slovis on the season has thrown for 842 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions. On the ground, USC is led by Keontay Ingram and he has rushed for 225 yards and three touchdowns. If USC wants to win this game, they are going to need the defense to be a whole lot better.
On the other side of this matchup is the Colorado Buffaloes who won their first game of the season against Northern Colorado, but since that point they have lost three games in a row. Over the last three games, Colorado has scored only 20 points. The biggest issue has been getting first downs, and in the last game, Brendon Lewis completed 7 of his 17 passes for 67 yards. Colorado on the season is averaging 13.75 points while their defense is giving up 20.5 points. Three different players have rushed for at least 100 yards, but no one has rushed for more than 188 yards. In this game if Colorado wants to win this game, they need the offense to be a lot better.
USC is 6-2-1 against the spread in their last nine games following an against the spread loss. Colorado is 1-5 against the spread in their last six games overall. USC is 0-3-1 against the spread in their last four meetings in Colorado. The over is 4-1 in the last five meetings in Colorado.
The trends point towards Colorado, but I am going to look past those and go by what I have seen on the field this season. This Colorado team is terrible and there is no way we can trust their offense to keep it close. I expect Colorado to finish with under ten points, and USC will cover the spread.
Shane’s Pick USC -7.5
AUTHOR: Shane Mickle
Mitch's Take...
