Pac-12 Championship: Oregon vs USC Picks

There’s probably not a game this season that encapsulates 2020 more than the upcoming Pac-12 Championship, and it’s certainly affected college football betting.

Originally, Southern Cal was slated to play Washington for the conference title. However, an outbreak of COVID-19 amongst the Huskies has put them below the number of required scholarship players available, so Oregon will replace them.

The coronavirus outbreak was also responsible for the cancellation of last Saturday’s scheduled game between the Ducks… and the Huskies. So now, Oregon gets a chance to repeat as Pac-12 champs. 
Here are our best college football free picks and predictions for Oregon at No. 13 USC. Kickoff is set for Friday, December 18 at 8:00 ET.

Oregon Ducks at USC Trojans Betting Preview

Weather

It’s going to be a beautiful December night for football on Friday at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Expect a temperature of 53 degrees with wind out of the south at 4 mph. There is no rain in the forecast. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.

Key Injuries

Oregon: Patrick Herbert TE (ques), Daewood Davis WR (ques), Devon Williams WR (ques), Cam McCormick TE (out)
USC: Tayler Katoa LB (out), Ben Easington RB (ques), Palaie Gaoteote IV LB (ques), Justin Dedrich OL (ques), Mo Hasan QB (late Dec) Jude Wolfe TE (out), Greg Johnson S (out) 
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.

Betting Trend to Know

Ducks are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 meetings. Find more NCAA betting trends for Oregon vs. USC. 

Against the Spread (ATS) Pick

The Ducks don’t deserve to be here. I think we can all agree on that. They’ve been one of the most disappointing teams in college football after getting off to a perfect 3-0 start, only to drop two consecutive games. And those losses haven’t been pretty, with Oregon falling to rival Oregon State and Cal. However, Mario Cristobal’s crew has plenty of talent, and quarterback Tyler Shough has done a fine job of growing into the spot vacated by Justin Herbert. He’s thrown for 1,389 yards with 11 touchdowns and four picks.

Following Southern Cal this year has been not been for the faint of the heart. Once again, the Trojans rallied for another last-minute victory, beating arch-rival UCLA 43-38 on Saturday when quarterback Kedon Slovis found Amon-Ra St. Brown with only eight seconds remaining. Slovis threw for 344 yards and five touchdown passes against the Bruins. There might not be a more clutch combination in the country than Slovis and St. Brown.

The line in this game makes absolutely no sense. The Trojans should be favored by more than a handful of points, and that’s why I’m going the other way. The Ducks haven’t played their best football in a while, but now they have a chance to defend their title, and they should keep this game within a field goal.

PREDICTION: Oregon +3.5 (-110)

Over/Under Pick

The Trojans can score quickly, and we saw that in primetime against the Bruins when USC found a way to win after being down 18 points in the third quarter. They should have plenty of success against the Ducks. The Over is 6-1 in the last seven meetings, and both defenses give up 5.74 yards per play, so I’m expecting plenty of points from both sides. 

PREDICTION: Over 62 (-110)

Team Prop Pick

There’s a reason why USC has had to come up with so many miracle finishes—the Trojans defense isn’t doing its job. The Ducks are going to be well-rested since their last game was two weeks ago, and Oregon is going to turn this game into the back-and-forth heart-wrencher that has been the hallmark of USC’s season.

PREDICTION: Oregon team total Over 29.5 (-103)

Oregon vs USC Betting Card

• Oregon +3.5 (-110)
• Over 62 (-110)
• Oregon team total Over 29.5 (-103)

Where Can I Bet on College Football?

You can bet on college football odds at every online and casino sportsbooks, including NCAA football point spreads, Over/Under totals, derivative bets and even prop plays as well. Head over to our best-suggested sportsbooks for the top spots to bet on college football odds in your area.

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