USC-Hawaii Pick
After taking some punishment from the NCAA, will the 2010 USC Trojans still be able to play like the Trojans of previous years?
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made USC a 21.5-point favorite at Hawaii for Thursday night’s game at 11PM ET, while the over/under has been set at 54.
USC went 9-4 last season but was just 4-9 against the spread and hit the under eight times. Since the end of the 2009 season, USC got a new coach in Lane Kiffin and lost 10 scholarships due to NCAA rules violations. Over the last three years, the Trojans are 12-14 ATS and 3-9 ATS as a road favorite.
Hawaii was 6-7 last season and 6-6 against the spread while hitting the under in seven of its games. Over the last three years, the Rainbows are 5-7 ATS in home games and just 1-2 ATS against Pac-10 opponents.
This game could go one of two ways. One, we could see USC show signs of falling apart and not being the Trojans of old, or two, USC will come out with fire ready to prove all the doubters wrong. Kiffin has a lot of swagger and he has surely been in USC’s ear all summer about people thinking they can’t win any more. Look for the Trojans to utilize their steady depth at running back to march all over Hawaii, which allowed over 200 yards per-game on the ground last year. We like USC to cover the lofty spread while the under hits.
OUR COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1 PICK: USC -21.5 and UNDER 54
USC Trojans -21.5 Over 54
Hawaii Warriors +21.5 Under 54