The Pac-12 starts getting serious on Saturday night when USC head to Utah. Both teams are ranked in the AP Poll Top 25 and will be looking to make even more headway in the rankings. In what is sure to be a hard fought encounter, we take a look at the lines and spread while giving our best picks and predictions for this Saturday evening’s game.
#7 USC Trojans @ #20 Utah Utes
Where and when?
- Kick-off: Saturday, 10/15/2022 8:00 pm EST.
- Venue: Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake, UT.
- TV: Live on Fox and the Fox Sports app.
What are the odds?
| Team | Moneyline | Spread |
| USC |
+150 | +3.5 (-112) |
| Utah |
-170 | -3.5 (-108) |
| Total Points Line |
Odds | |
| Over 65 |
-110 | |
| Under 65 |
-110 |
*Odds courtesy of BetOnline
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Oddsmakers disrespecting USC?
The undefeated USC head to Utah as underdogs according the bookies. Oddsmakers have the Trojans as 3.5 point underdogs on Saturday night as they look to continue their unbeaten streak. We doubt that head coach Lincoln Riley will use these odds in his team talk, but if he wanted to make the players angry about being disrespected, he should pin a screenshot of these odds to the locker room wall.
Utah are coming off the back of a loss to UCLA and will be keen to bounce back as quickly as possible. The Utes were on a four-game winning streak prior to that loss and enter the game with a 4-2 record.
How will this game be decided?
This game could very well come down to who has the upper hand on the offensive and defensive lines. If that is the case, it should be a slight worry for Utah on both sides of the ball.
This USC pass rush is simply better than the Utah Utes pass blocking. The right hand side of the Utes 0ffensive line is a major concern and USC has the personnel to pick them apart in that aspect of the game. USC edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu (pictured above) will be coming all day and we don’t believe Utah has a way to stop him. He already has five sacks on the season and six more hurries or hits.
USC’s run defense is probably on par with Utah’s run blocking and that is likely where Utah should go if they want to move the ball. USC is giving up 4.6 yards per carry, but the Utes don’t have the most talented backfield. Quarterback Cameron Rising is by far and away the best player on this Utah offense and we believe he will be shut down all night in the passing game. However, he could move the ball with his legs and that likely should be a big part of the Utah gameplan.
USC to dominate on offense?
For USC, this offensive line is having a monstrous year. They are a top ten run blocking unit and there will be plenty of holes for running back Travis Dye to exploit on Saturday evening. Dye is going at 6.3 yards per carry and already has six TDs to his name. He will be confident of keeping those numbers up in this affair.
USC quarterback Caleb Williams should also have plenty of time to do what he wants. That usually involved throwing the ball to top target, wide receiver, Jordan Addison. Addison’s matchup is a good one unless Utah starts moving their best corner to cover him. If that happens it will be a fun night watching Addison battle cornerback Clark Phillips. Either way, there should be an option for USC to move the ball at all times, which certainly cannot be said of Utah.
What are the picks?
Our picks in this one involve USC winning and the Utes not quite being as proficient on offense as they have been so far this season.
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