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No. 14 USC visits No. 13 Stanford on Saturday
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Published: 9/6/2014  at  5:05:00 AM
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USC TROJANS (1-0)
at STANFORD CARDINAL (1-0)

Kickoff: Saturday 3:30 p.m. ET
Line: Stanford -2.5, Total: 55

After two dominating victories in their season openers against inferior opponents, No. 14 USC and No. 13 Stanford look to start the Pac-12 conference season with a win on Saturday.

Here is the BetDSI Sportsbook betting preview for this matchup:

The Trojans offense at times had its struggles last season, but if Week 1 was any indication of how this unit will perform this season, look out. QB Cody Kessler threw for 394 yards and four touchdowns in a 52-13 win over Fresno State, and appears poised for a big season. USC has lost the past two times the teams have met in Palo Alto, but it did cover the spread in the 2012 defeat. Last season, the teams played a very competitive game in southern California, with the Trojans winning by field goal, 20-17. Kessler came up big in that victory, throwing for 288 yards and one touchdown. The Cardinal were able to run the ball very efficiently in that loss though, gaining 210 yards on 35 carries (6.0 YPC), but were unable to get the job done through the air (127 passing yards). Quarterback Kevin Hogan was very efficient in last week’s 45-0 season opening victory against UC Davis (12-of-16, 204 yards), and he will need that type of performance to help Stanford get payback for last season’s loss. Last year, RB Tyler Gaffney rushed for 158 yards in the matchup, but he is no longer with the team. If there was one negative for the Cardinal in Week 1, it was that the team averaged only 4.7 rushing yards per carry, something that could hurt them in this matchup. The loss last season snapped a four-game winning streak against USC, which was the longest in school history for Stanford. Although home teams that had a poor passing defense last season (58% comp. pct. or worse) with five returning offensive starters are 23-55 ATS (30%) in the past 10 seasons, home favorites coming off a win by 35+ points facing an opponent after playing a game with 60+ total points scored are 149-84 ATS (64%). USC has a few bumps and bruises with RB Tre Madden (toe) doubtful to play on Saturday and WR Steven Mitchell, OL Khaliel Rodgers, OG Jordan Simmons and OL Damien Mama all questionable with knee injuries, but Stanford will be without LBs Kevin Palma and Joe Hemschoot, who have undisclosed injuries.

Can Stanford get payback from last year's close loss to USC? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014 regular season and bowl season. During the 2013 season, StatFox Dave led the experts with a 55% ATS mark (38-31-2), while Gary and Brian both finished with another winning season (51% ATS). StatFox Scott saved his best for last with a 5-2 ATS mark (71%) in college football bowl Best Bets.

The Steve Sarkisian era got off to a fast start at USC, as the team resembled the high-scoring offenses of the mid-2000’s with 701 total yards (424 passing, 277 rushing). With Kessler having another year under his belt, he is running the offense at a different level. Top WR Nelson Agholor (5 catches, 57 yards, 2 TD) is one of the elite receivers in the country, and with much of the defensive attention focused on him, it was another receiver that emerged as a potential star for the Trojans. JuJu Smith had four catches for 123 yards in his first career game. Wearing the same number that Marqise Lee wore, Smith displayed much of the same big-play ability of the former Trojans star. With defenses focusing on Agoholor, Smith is going to have a lot of one-on-one matchups down the middle of the field. The passing game of the Trojans could be one of the best in the country this season, but the ground game of USC has a chance to be equally as good. RB Javorius Allen (22 rush, 123 yards, 1 TD) is a big power running back that has the ability to wear out an opponent. His ability to run the ball is going to make the Trojans offense nearly impossible to game-plan for. The defense of the Trojans was equally as impressive in the season opener, intercepting the Bulldogs four times while putting constant pressure on the Fresno State quarterbacks. S Gerald Bowman (five tackles, 1 INT) was the leader in a deep and talented secondary on Saturday. USC is an extremely fast defense that loves to fly to the ball. However, it will be tested differently on Saturday against a smash-mouth style of offense.

Stanford is coming into this game off a big Week 1 against UC Davis. In that shutout victory, QB Kevin Hogan played very efficiently, but versus USC he will have to take some more chances down field to keep the Trojans defenders from stacking the box. WR Ty Montgomery is one of the elite playmakers in all of college football. In the opener, he had a 44-yard touchdown catch, as well as a 67-yard punt return. He has become a much more polished receiver the past two seasons, and now is a much better route runner. At the running back position, the Cardinal have another explosive player in RB Barry Sanders Jr. who had 51 yards on nine touches last week, which matched his nine touches all of last season (73 yards). The knock on the 5-foot-10, 192-pound Sanders is that he does not have the size and stature to be a 30-carry workhorse, but because of his great speed, Sanders does have a chance to score any time he touches the ball. Against USC, look for Stanford to move him around on the field, trying to line him up in the slot against a linebacker. The Cardinal have the explosive offensive players, and they will need to make those types of plays in this game. However, the strength of the team, just like the past few seasons, is the defense. In Week 1, the unit allowed only 115 yards and pitched a shutout. LB A.J. Tarpley led the team with six tackles against UC Davis, but this defense is the type of unit where a player may not stand out a lot. The Cardinal fly to the ball on the defense, and play very fundamental and sound football. They are very disciplined, and that will be a big thing to watch in this game. If they stay in their lanes and remain focused on their assignments, the Cardinal should be able to make things difficult for USC's offense.


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