Heeeeeeyyyyy… you. Yeah you, Arizona. How you been? Yeah? Good. Gooood. I just want you to know I’ve been thinking about you, and no matter what happens during football season, you still have a lot to be proud of. Okay, good talk. (smiles and bops Arizona on the nose).
That’s how you address a football team that lost seven consecutive games to end 2019. The Wildcats are likely thrilled to have turned the page, but considering how 2020 has gone thus far, things can always get worse - despite my loving pep talk.
Here are our best college football free picks and predictions for No. 20 USC at Arizona, with kickoff set to begin on Saturday, November 14 at 3:30 p.m. ET in Tuscon.
USC Trojans at Arizona Wildcats Betting Preview
Weather
It’s going to be absolutely perfect in Tuscon on Saturday afternoon. Look for a high of 73 degrees with plenty of sunshine, a light 5 mph wind out of the north-northeast and no rain. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key Injuries
USC: Brett Neilon OL (ques), Brandon Pili DL (ques), Gary Bryant Jr. WR (ques), Tayler Katoa LB (ques), Samuel Oram-Jones RB (out), Munir McClain WR (out), Trevor Trout DL (out), Juliano Falaniko LB (out), Kyle Ford WR (out)
Arizona: Jamarye Joiner WR (ques), Jaden Mitchell WR (out), Frank Brown Jr. RB (late Nov), Darrius Smith RB (out), Jalen Johnson WR (out), JB Brown DE (out), Edgar Burrola OL (out), Jabar Triplett LB (out)
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The favorite is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings. Find more NCAA betting trends for USC vs. Arizona.
Against the Spread (ATS) Pick
Man, Clay Helton must sleep on a bed of rabbit’s feet. The Trojans had all but lost last Saturday’s game against Arizona State, tailing 27-14 late. Then, Southern Cal scored, recovered an onside kick, and posted another touchdown with just over a minute to play for the miracle 28-27 win. Kedon Slovis caught fire during the comeback, completing 40-55 passes for 381 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
So. Arizona. This was a bad football team at the end of last season, and this will be their first game of the year because last week’s game against Utah was canceled due to COVID-19. Who knows what to expect? Sophomore quarterback Grant Gunnell takes over as the Wildcats signal-caller after throwing for nine touchdowns last year in a backup role. The Arizona defense returns talented players like linebackers Anthony Pandy and Jalen Harris, but the Wildcats also allowed also 471.4 yards per game in 2019.
I don’t trust USC’s defense under Todd Orlando, and last week provided the proof I needed. That said, the Trojans have an extra game under their belts, and until the Cats prove that they aren’t still terrible, I’m willing to lay the big number.
PREDICTION: USC -14.0 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
The Arizona defense gave up 35.8 points per game last season, and Graham Harrell’s USC offense seems to have found its groove late against the Sun Devils. Plus, you can almost guarantee that Orlando’s defense will give up a couple of regrettable big plays to the Wildcats. The Over is 6-1 in the Trojans’ last seven games, and the money is already headed in that direction.
PREDICTION: Over 65.0 (-110)
Team Total Pick
Longtime defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads takes over for the Wildcats after spending the last two seasons coaching defensive backs at UCLA. He’ll certainly know the Trojans well, but this same USC team pasted the Bruins 52-35 in 2019.
Rhoads has less talent to work with in Tuscon, so I expect Slovis & Co. to have a big day, despite me lending my inspirational support to the Wildcats.
PREDICTION: USC team total Over 41.5 (-125)
USC vs Arizona Betting Card
- USC -14.0 (-110)
- Over 65.0 (-110)
- USC team total Over 41.5 (-125)
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Use our NCAA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
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