At 8:00 ET, the Cardinals and Trojans square off at Petco Park in a week 1 NCAAF matchup. TV coverage belongs to FOX with the game being played on Wednesday, December 27th. The odds for this week 1 non-conference matchup have the Cardinals as the 7.5 point favorite on the road. I have a strong take on how this plays out. Keep reading to get my best bets for this Wednesday showdown.
LOUISVILLE CARDINALS VS USC TROJANS BETTING PICK
The Pick: USC Trojans +7.5
This game will be played at Petco Park at 8:00 ET on Wednesday, December 27th.
WHY BET THE USC TROJANS:
- We have this one finishing with a projected score of 33-26 in favor of Louisville.
- Even though we have Louisville winning straight-up, we like USC at +7.5.
- The over/under is currently sitting at 58 points, and we like the over with a projected 59 points.
Can the Cardinals Lock in a Win at San Diego?
So far, the Louisville Cardinals are 10-3, including going 3-2 on the road and 6-1 at home.
Heading into this week’s matchup with USC, the Cardinals have been favored in nine games and the underdog in two. Their ATS mark coming into the game is 5-7.
Across 13 games, the average over/under line in Louisville’s matchups is 49.5 points. These games have seen an average combined score of 50.6 points, resulting in an OU record of 6-6.
In the rushing game, the Cardinals are currently 23rd in college football with 482 attempts per game. This has resulted in an average of 176.8 rushing yards per game, putting them 27th nationally. Their passing game has averaged 29.5 passes and 244 yards per game. When it comes to scoring, they are 31st, averaging 30.9 points per game.
The Cardinals defense faces off against USC with 33 sacks and are 1st in QB hurries. When it comes to points allowed, they’re giving up 19.7 points per game which is 74th in the nation. Against the pass, they’re 58th in the NCAA, allowing 205.4 passing yards per game. Louisville’s run defense is yielding 104.8 rushing yards per contest.
Can the USC Offense Score Enough at Home?
So far, the USC Trojans are 7-5, including going 3-2 on the road and 3-3 at home.
Heading into this week’s matchup with Louisville, the Trojans have been favored in eight games and the underdog in three. Their ATS mark coming into the game is 3-8.
This season, USC has an over/under record of 8-3. Their games have, on average, produced a combined total of 76.8 points, with the typical over/under line being 66.6 points.
USC comes into the game with an offense averaging 41.8, which places them at 6th in the NCAA rankings. Their passing game has them ranked 6th nationally, with an average of 329.8 passing yards. In the rushing department, they’re 88th in the nation, with 341 rushing attempts per game for the season.
So far this season, the Trojans’ defense has given up 185.3 rushing yards per game against the run (72nd). Opponents are averaging 255.2 passing yards and opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 104.4 against USC. In terms of points allowed, they are 9th in the NCAA.
