Coming off their worst loss under head coach Pete Carroll, Southern Cal treks into the desert on Saturday evening to meet their Pac-10 rivals from Arizons State.
The truth hurts but here are the facts for USC. The Trojans are out of the National Championship picture and a longshot to win their eighth straight Pac-10 championship. For the Trojans it’s about turning the page and moving on after suffering worst loss of the Pete Carroll era.
USC was pounded 47-20 on the road by Oregon, as the Ducks rolled up 391 yards on the ground in dealing the Trojans their worst loss in 12 years. Oregon's 613 total yards were the second most allowed by USC in school history.
The Trojans take on Arizona State looking to beat the Sun Devils for the ninth straight time. During Carroll’s time on the Southern Cal sideline they’ve beaten ASU eight in a row by an average of 22 points. A win by any margin would be a start for the bruised and battered Trojans.
Freshman QB Matt Barkley ranks second in the Pac-10 with 247 yards and has thrown nine touchdown passes against six interceptions. Today he faces the Pac-10’s top defense which is dominant against the run and has a conference best 13 interceptions.
USC tailbacks Joe McKnight and Allen Bradford returned from Oregon with sore knees but were practicing at full speed by Thursday. McKnight has averaged 89 yards rushing, Bradford 43. The Trojans need one or both to be effective against an Arizona State defense that ranks fourth nationally against the run.
Sun Devils running back Dimitri Nance averages 4.3 yards a carry and has five touchdowns. He'll be running against a Trojans front seven eager to redeem itself after giving up 391 yards rushing at Oregon.
ASU quarterback Danny Sullivan gets his first career start against the Trojans but he does have some experience against them. In 2008, Sullivan relieved the injured Carpenter in the third quarter of last season's rout, going 4 of 17 for 28 yards and two interceptions.
USC leads the series against Arizona State, 16-9 and the Trojans are 27-0 in November games under Carroll. SC enters with a record of 6-2 SU but just 2-6 ATS this year. USC is 1-7 ATS in their last eight conference games and road contests.
The Sun Devils are 4-4 overall, 4-3 against the number and 1-6 to the UNDER.
After the shellacking the USC defense took last week I look for them to rebound today against a mediocre ASU defense. The Trojans will do enough to win but getting the cover is another story. The strongest play is taking the 'under.'
Free Pick: USC-Arizona St Under 46½ (-110)