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The two top teams in the PAC-12 face off as Washington visits USC. It is time to continue our College Football odds series with a Washington-USC prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Washington enters the game at 8-0 and ranked number five in the first CFP rankings. They dominated the first part of the season, with over 20 points wins in each of their first four games. The first close game came against Arizona. That one finished a seven-point victory as Arizona scored with 1:08 left in the game, and Washington won 31-24. Then it was the win against Oregon, where they scored with 1:38 left in the game to take a 36-33 win over the Ducks. The last two games have been a struggle though. First, it was a 15-7 win over Arizona State, and then the 42-33 win over Stanford to move to 8-0.
Meanwhile, USC enters the game at 7-2. They started the season at 5-0, one score wins over Colorado and Arizona at the end of the streak. Then, they faced Notre Dame. Notre Dame dominated the game early, taking a 24-6 lead into the half, and they would ultimately pull away, with Notre Dame winning 48-20. They would lose the next time out as well. At the half against Utah, USC and Utah were tied at the half, then Utah would make it 28-17 going into the fourth quarter. USC would score with 1:46 left in the game but missed the two-point conversion to give them a one-point lead, but Utah drove the field and hit a game-winning field goal for a Utah 34-32 win.
Then last time out was another struggle. They played Cal, and Cal led at the half, but USC came back and took the lead with 3:33 left. With 58 seconds left Cal scored and went for the two-point conversion, but it failed and USC survived 50-49.
Here are the college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Washington-USC Odds
Washington: -3 (-110)
USC: +3 (-110)
Over: 76.5 (-115)
Under: 76.5 (-105)
How to Watch Washington vs. USC Week 10
Time: 7:30 PM ET/ 4:30 PM PT
TV: ABC
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Washington Will Cover The Spread
Michael Penix Jr. is the leader of his Washington offense. He has been solid for the most part this year, completing 204 of 295 passes this year for 2,950 yards and 24 touchdowns. Last time out was a nice rebound game. Against Arizona State, he passed for just 275 yards and had two interceptions, but then last time out, he threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns in the game. Penix has made a ton of big-time throws as well, with 20 big-time throws according to PFF, and just six interceptions with four turnover-worthy passes.
Meanwhile, Penix is throwing to some great wide receivers this year. Rome Odunze has been great, bringing in 51 of 76 targets for 907 yards yards and seven touchdowns. He had 264 yards after the catch this year as well. Meanwhile, Ja'Lynn Polk has been solid as well. He has brought in 46 of 63 targets this year for 836 yards and seven scores as well. Beyond those two, Jalen McMillan is questionable this game but could be back and will have an impact. He has played in five games, but been limited, having just 25 targets this year, bringing in 20 of them for 305 yards and three scores.
The running game has been led by Dillon Johnson this year. He has 430 yards on the season for Washington and has been getting solid blocking. Johnson gets almost two yards downfield before first contact while having 2.94 yards per rush after contact this year. Johnson has also scored six times this year.
On defense, Washington has been solid as well. They have allowed just 20.4 points per game this year. The pass rush is led by Bralen Trice, who has 40 quarterback pressures, but just three sacks this season. Edeufaun Olofoshio leads this defense overall. In the run game, he leads the team with 27 tackles while having 13 stops for offensive failures, and an average depth of tackle in the run game of 3.6 yards downfield. He also has been solid in pass coverage, allowing just 109 yards with an interception this year. Overall, Washington has nine interceptions this year, while allowing 11 passing touchdowns.
Why USC Will Cover The Spread
The USC offense is led by Caleb Williams this year. He has completed 190 passes this year on 280 attempts. That gives Williams 2,660 yards this year and 25 touchdowns. Williams had touchdown passes in all but one game this year but has been struggling. Between the Arizona, Notre Dame, and Utah games, he threw just two touchdowns, had three interceptions, and seven turnover-worthy passes. Last week, he was better though, with Williams passing for 369 yards and two touchdowns, without an interception and just one turnover-worthy pass. He also ran in two touchdowns last time, but he did fumble twice in the game against Cal.
Williams is second on the team in rushing this year with 285 yards and he has scored nine times on the ground this year. The leader of the running game is Marshawn Lloyd. He has 762 yards this year, averaging 7.8 yards per carry this year. Lloyd has also been great after contact, with 407 yards after contact with 40 missed tackles forced this year. He has also scored eight times this year.
The receiving game is led by Tahj Washington and Brenden Rice. Washington has brought in 35 receptions this year for 711 yards. He averaged 20.3 yards per reception this year. Washington also has 318 yards after the catch this year, with five touchdowns on the season. Meanwhile, Rice is the major touchdown scorer. He has scored nine times this year with 519 yards receiving this year.
The defense for USC has been an issue. they have allowed 32.6 points per game this year. Jamil Muhammad and Solomon Byrd have been solid on the pass rush. Both of them have over 20 quarterback pressures this year, while they both have six sacks on the year. In coverage, they have picked off six passers this year, but the major issue is allowing touchdowns through the air. USC has allowed 22 passing touchdowns this year.
Final Washington-USC Prediction & Pick
Washington has not looked good as of late, but there are a few key factors in this game. First, is motivation for Washington. They ended up being ranked fifth in the first playoff rankings, but have the best win of the top five teams. Second, there is a major mismatch in this game. The Washington pass offense is amazing with a lot of top quality receivers. The USC pass defense is awful. That is going to be the difference in this game. The prediction for this Wahsington-USC game is that Washington dominates the passing game, on their way to a win.
Final Washington-USC Prediction & Pick: Wahsington -3 (-110)
