In Week 3 college football action we have the seventh-ranked Stanford Cardinal taking on the USC Trojans at Stanford Stadium in the first conference game of the year for both teams. Stanford is on a two-game winning streak against South California, with their last victory coming last season when they dispatched their Pac-12 rivals 41-31 at the Coliseum.
- Stanford is 11-1 SU and 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games against other teams in the Pac-12.
- The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Southern Cal's last 9 games on the road.
- Southern Cal is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games against Stanford.
The rivalry between USC and Stanford began when they met for the first time in 1905 and the Trojans hold the 60-31-3 edge in the all-time series record. The script has flipped recently, however, with Stanford taking six of the last eight matchups since 2009.
Stanford is 1-0 so far after earning a 26-13 win over Kansas State in their first game of the season back in Week 1. They got an early bye in Week 2 which should benefit their merciless running game that features Christian McCaffrey, a back who rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries in Stanford’s first game. Many believed McCaffrey should have won last year’s Heisman award as he rushed for 2019 yards and 8 touchdowns while catching 45 passes out of the backfield for 645 yards in 2015.
USC had an extremely hard time stopping the run in their Game 1 matchup with No. 1 ranked Alabama, illustrated by the 242 yards they gave up on the ground, so it’s likely Stanford will go to the run early and often.
The Trojans got back on track in Week 2 with a spread-covering 45-7 victory over Utah State and opened as 6.5-point underdogs to Stanford. The Cardinal allowed over 300 yards to a Kansas State team that was ranked 104th in total offense last year, so this game has definite shootout potential.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
The visiting USC Trojans opened as 6.5-point underdogs in this one at Sportsbook and most sportsbooks tracked here at Odds Shark. No total had been posted as of writing time check the live lines pages in the coming days to see where the number opened.
Prediction-scoring formulas run on this game pick a potential 35-24 result in favor of the Cardinal. View the computer score prediction and who will win the pick on the moneyline for all upcoming NCAAF matchups here.
USC Trojans vs Stanford Cardinal Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
Betting fans of the Stanford Cardinal have seen them go 1-0 and 1-0 ATS so far this season, while the USC Trojans are at 1-1 and 1-1 ATS. In over under totals betting, the USC Trojans are 1-1, while the Stanford Cardinal are 0-1. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Stanford vs USC injuries news.
It's a betting matchup between the No. 11-rated Stanford Cardinal and the No. 65-ranked USC Trojans, according to the NCAA College Football Power Rankings here at Odds Shark.
Statistical Matchup
Offensively, the game matches up the Stanford Cardinal No. 83-ranked offense (26 PPG) against a USC Trojans defense that ranks No. 91 at 29.5 PPG. The Stanford Cardinal passing attack has averaged 167 yards per game, less than the USC Trojans give up through the air (213.5 YPG on average).
Defensively, the USC Trojans feature the league's No. 60-rated road run defense, allowing 242 yards per game. Stanford, meanwhile, ranks No. 104 in rushing offense at home.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
USC cruised to victory in its last outing, as they ran up a 45-7 score against Utah State at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Last time we saw the Wildcats, they had no answer for Christian McCaffrey as the Cardinal rolled to a 26-13 victory at Stanford Stadium.
- Southern California is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games
- Southern California is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
- Southern California is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
- Southern California is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games on the road
- Stanford is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
- Stanford is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Stanford's last 6 games
- Stanford is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
USC at Utah, Friday, September 23rd
Stanford at UCLA, Saturday, September 24th
