Stanford Cardinal at USC Trojans Betting Preview

It’s another full day of college football and Saturday, and the action extends all the way until late in the night. The USC Trojans host the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday night, and this has turned into one of the best rivalries in the sport of college football.

Stanford comes into this matchup hungry after suffering a 24-7 loss to the Kansas State Wildcats in the series opener. The Cardinal are not expected to be a Pac-12 title contender, but they will be ready to play their long-time rival.

USC picked up a 30-7 victory over San Jose State University in the season opener, and they looked sharp in doing so. The Trojans now have to avoid a letdown in this matchup as they hope to keep climbing up the rankings.

The USC Trojans are 17.5-point betting favorites over the Stanford Cardinal in this Pac-12 Conference showdown.

Cardinal Can’t Run

If the Cardinal are going to find a way to challenge their rival on Saturday, then they have to be better on the offensive side of the ball. Stanford had just 233 yards of total offense in Week 1, and only 39 of those yards came on the ground.

Running back Austin Jones had nine carries for 25 yards in that loss, and Stanford will be looking to get him going in this matchup. Tanner McKee was accurate at the quarterback position in last week’s game but only threw for 118 total yards.

The Stanford defense should be the best unit on this team, but they did allow 200 rushing yards in the season-opening loss.

All Eyes on USC Offense

USC quarterback Kedon Slovis is on the shortlist of Heisman Trophy candidates this season, and he was sharp in Week 1. Slovis threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns, and he is going to be a problem for the Stanford defense.

The Trojans will be looking for more balance on offense all season long, and they should be able to run the ball well against Stanford. USC is going to play fast when they have the ball, and that could wear down their rivals.

If USC continues to get a dominant defensive performance on that side of the ball, then the Trojans are going to be a tough team to beat all season long. The offense gets the recognition, but the defense is solid as well.

Stanford Keeps This Game Interesting

Stanford is going to have to figure out its run game if they want a chance to win this game, but the USC defense could allow that to happen. The Cardinals just don’t have any real explosive options on offense, and that is going to hurt their chances to win in this one.

USC quarterback Kaden Slovis is one of the best in the country, and he should have a big day on offense in this one. The Trojans are going to get a scare from their Pac-12 Conference rival, but they just have too much offense to get upset in this one.

Take the 17.5 points on Saturday night as the Stanford Cardinal finds a way to keep this game close in a losing effort.

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