Washington vs USC Prediction - College Football Picks 11/4/23

• Mississippi State transfer Dillon Johnson surpassed the 80-yard mark for the third time in four games, and he leads the backfield with 430 rushing yards on 83 touches.

• Rome Odunze had another productive effort in the win over Stanford, and he leads UW in receptions (51) and receiving yards (907).

• Ja’Lynn Polk scored twice last weekend, and after hitting the 100-yard mark for the fifth time in six games, and he’s second on the team with splits of 46/836/7.

• The UW defense is allowing 20.6 points per game.

Southern Cal Trojans Preview

USC moved to 7-2 after defeating California in Berkeley by one, 50-49. The Trojans dodged a major disaster by holding off the Golden Bears in the final minute to avoid a third straight loss, and they’ll look to pick up their first ranked win here against Washington. The USC offense is scoring 45.9 ppg, while passing for 328.3 ypg, rushing for 153.9 ypg, and converting 42.4% of their third downs.

USC Player Notes

• Caleb Williams came thru with his best start of October in Berkeley, passing for 369 yards and a pair of scores. The junior quarterback has toned things down since his outburst in Boulder, and he’ll now begin a stiff three-game stretch to close the season. Williams has thrown for 2,646 passing yards, with 25 touchdowns to four interceptions on the season. 

• SC transfer Marshawn Lloyd scored twice in the win over Cal, and he leads the Trojans with 766 yards rushing yards (766).

• Veteran receiver Tahj Washington has surpassed the 100-yard mark in back-to-back games, and he leads the Trojans in receptions (35) and receiving yards (711).

• Senior wide Brenden Rice has scored in seven of the first nine games, and he’s posting strong splits of 30/519/9.

• The USC defense has allowed 32.5 points per game.

Washington vs Southern Cal Trends

• UW is 3-3-1 against the spread, with a 4-3 O/U record. 

• USC is 2-5 ATS, with a 3-4 over/under record.

Corey’s Free Pick

October was truly spooky for Southern Cal, and even after escaping Berkeley with a 1-point win, business picks up for them over this final stretch of play. Prior to facing inner-city rival UCLA, they’ll take a trip to the Zoo to face Oregon, and this weekend they may have their fiercest test here with Washington. The Huskies have proven to be battle-tested enough to win this game on the road, and after passing every test so far, I like trusting them here against an uneasy Southern Cal team. The Trojans were exposed on the defensive end last month, and it’s unclear if they’ll be able to slow down Michael Penix Jr. and the talented UW aerial attack. The total is extremely massive, and leaves plenty of room for error, but the way USC has defended makes testing the magic number a bit risky. This game will have CFB Playoff implications for Washington, so look for them to come out sharp here in LA, and back then for this Pac-12 battle.