It's the marquee game of Week 2 on the college football slate and the Trojans will move to 2-0 in this Top 10 matchup at the Horseshoe against Terrelle Pryor and the Ohio St. Buckeyes.
My preseason ratings would have favored USC by 4½ points, but last week's results showed the Trojans could be better than expected and Ohio State has some issues.
The Buckeyes' defense had a tough time in allowing Navy to average 6.0 yards per play and the offensive line allowed the Midshipmen to get into the backfield with regularity. Terrelle Pryor was only sacked one time as he consistently alluded Navy defenders, but he's not as likely to allude USC's defense and the Trojans may be in the backfield a lot given what I saw last week from the Buckeyes' line.
USC freshman quarterback Matt Barkley looked poised and was sharp in his first start (15 of 19 for 233 yards), but he has a reputation of having a gunslinger mentality that led to a lot of interceptions in camp and scrimmages. Barkley didn't throw any picks last week, but Ohio State can compete if he throws a couple tonight.
Southern Cal has perhaps the best offensive line in the nation leading the way for a stable of talented backs, so Barkley probably won't be forced to do too much in this game. My ratings favor USC by 9½ points.
Projected Final Score: Southern Cal-27 Ohio State-18
Free Pick: USC -7 (-105)
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