NCAAF Preview Odds - USC at Hawaii

See how the lines have moved and read the latest update on USC vs Hawaii in NCAAF 2010 right here!

Matched up against Hawaii (6-7), USC (9-4) is a heavy favorite (-18) against the pass-heavy warriors.  Expect that line to keep increasing as we close in on September 2^nd.

Hawaii boasts the third ranked passing game and the overall 14^th best offense in the nation last year.  With a number of receivers gone from the talented corps from last year, such as Bess, Rivers, Hawthorne, and Grice-Mullen, Greg Salas and others hope to fill in the holes that accounted for the Warriors production last year.

Perhaps the biggest hole in the offense of the Warriors is the lack of pass protection up front.  When this is coupled with the lack of rushing production for Hawaii, things already aren't looking good for the Warriors.

Defensively Hawaii was liable last year, especially in giving up the run.  A strong secondary that is returning should help things, but don't expect too much for Hawaii defensively, especially against such a talented team as the Trojans.

These concerns for Hawaii were evident in their final game against the Wisconsin Badgers (9-3).  The Badgers rushed for 301 yards and seven touchdowns in the 51-10 beating in Honolulu.

Offensively the Warriors only managed a net of 17 yards rushing.  Moniz was only 15/34 with one touchdown, two interceptions, and 197 total yards.

With these considerations in place, it does not seem as if the Warriors will be able to get much going on either side of the ball, similar to what Wisconsin experienced. 

The Trojans boast one of the best talents at the quarterback position in Matt Barkley.  Allen Bradford should be ready to take advantage of the suspect Hawaii rush defense, where Bradford led the team in eight touchdowns as the backup running back.

In the matchup USC is expected to shut down the weak protection on the air and ground for Hawaii.  Junior defensive tackle Jurrell Casey is a handful upfront, requiring help to contain the man who received 4.5 sacks and 59 tackles last season, nine of which were tackles for loss.

The pass defense for USC may seem suspect with only five returning starters.  This may be enough to produce a level of risk for USC as a heavy favorite (-18).  However, it is hard to imagine that against a less-than-talented Hawaii squad, USC will have too much trouble, even in Hawaii.

The combination of suspect protection for Hawaii should mean more possessions for USC.  This is quite dangerous with the talent USC has offensively.

Look for USC to dominate Hawaii on both sides of the ball.  Hawaii will be less than likely to get much going on the ground, which does not bode well for the single dimension of the passing game that was seen last year, especially against a tough opponent.

Look for a reminiscent showdown of what Hawaii faced last year against Wisconsin.  It seems unlikely that Hawaii will have much of a chance in this game, or in the current line (-18) for that matter, but make sure to keep checking the odds here, lines move and you don't want to miss out.

Don't be surprised to see the odds rise against USC for this matchup.  If you like the Trojans, get in early as it might grow as September 2^nd comes closer.  If not, wait it out to get some better odds as expected.

USC's high-powered offense should dominate against Hawaii to open up the season.