Fresno State vs. USC Total Pick
Can the USC offense get itself on track when it opens the season against a tough Fresno State team on Saturday at 10:30PM ET?
Game Snapshot & Odds
213 Fresno State vs. 214 USC
Saturday, August 31, 2019
10:30PM ET – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
TV: ESPN
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Public Betting Trends
According to the latest oddsmakers, USC is the clear favorite in this game, as the Trojans are getting odds of -13.5 points against Fresno State. The over/under total is listed at 52.5 points. The public betting currently has 65 percent going on USC as the favorite. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our NCAAF Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.
Fresno had banner 2018 season
The Fresno State football team is coming off a huge 2018 season where it went 12-2 overall and 7-1 in the Mountain West, beating Boise State in the conference title game. The team is in its third year with Jeff Tedford leading the program. The Bulldogs were an impressive 10-4 against the spread last year and 10-4 with the under.
Fresno State had an offense that put up 34.6 points and 421.5 yards per game last season, but the Bulldogs return just two starters from that unit this year. The team loses a ton of skill-position talent including their starting QB and a 1,300-yard receiver. Jorge Reyna is the new starting QB for Fresno. He threw 12 passes in the 2018 season. Leading rusher Ronnie Rivers is back after putting up 743 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, but he has just one starter back on the offensive line. Defensively, Fresno State gave up just 14.1 points and 321.6 yards per game last season. The defense has only four starters back this year.
USC hoping to get on track
The 2018 season was an ugly one for USC, as the Trojans went just 5-7 overall and 4-5 in the Pac-12. Head coach Clay Helton is on the hot seat for his sixth season leading the program. The Trojans were just 4-8 against the spread while going 6-6 with the over/under total.
USC’s offense was awful last season, averaging just 26.1 points and 382.6 yards per game. One of them is quarterback JT Daniels, who won a tough camp battle for the starting job. He threw for 2,672 yards and 14 touchdowns with 10 interceptions last year. He has his top receivers back this year, as Michael Pittman Jr., Amon-Ra St. Brown and Tyler Vaughns combined for 159 receptions and over 2,000 yards in 2018. Defensively, USC gave up 27 points and 388 yards per game in 2018. The defense has just three starters back, two of which come on the defensive line.
College Football Betting Trends
Fresno State
Fresno State is 13-3 with the under in its last 16 road games, but 16-5-1 with the over in its last 22 against Pac-12 opponents.
USC
The Trojans are 6-2 with the under in its last eight games in August, but 13-6-1 with the over in its last 20 non-conference games.
Prediction:
These two haven’t met since 2014, but they are 2-0-1 with the over in their last three meetings. Both teams are in different places than they were since they last met. Fresno had a great 2018 season, but is going to have to prove it can reload quickly. USC was a mess last year, but has a lot of starters back in key positions and the coach needs wins. I think the USC passing game will look better on Saturday and allow the Trojans to put up some points. Fresno State has a lot of new starters to work in on offense, but I think it can still succeed against the USC defense. I am going to roll the dice on the over in this game.
College Football Week 1 Prediction: Fresno State/USC Over 52.5