Hawaii vs. USC Odds
LOS ANGELES (The Spread) – The top-ranked team in the country, USC, looks to start the season on the right foot when it hosts Hawaii at 7:30PM ET on FOX.
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USC is coming off a 10-2 season under Lane Kiffin. The Trojans are now open to postseason play after a two-year ban and the Trojans appear primed for a strong run. The Warriors are coming off a 6-7 season in 2011 and now have a new coach in Norm Chow, formers USC offensive coordinator. Hawaii has lost all seven meetings to USC by an average of 35 points.
Trends show that Hawaii was 2-4 against the spread on the road last season but the Warriors did cover the odds in their last meeting with USC. The Trojans were just 4-3 against the spread at home in 2011 and just 2-4 ATS in their last 6 non-conference games.
Oddsmakers see USC as the clear favorite in this game, giving the Trojans odds of -42 points against Hawaii. The over/under odds for the game have been set at 63 points (View Matchup). The opening odds had USC as a 39-point favorite against Hawaii. The spread actually dropped down to 37 points early on, but has since made the steady climb up to 42 points.
USC should have one of the top offenses in the country, as the team is led by four-year starting quarterback, Matt Barkley. Barkley is considered one of the top NFL prospects this year. He threw for 3,528 yards and 39 TD’s in 2011 and he returns his top three receivers from a year ago. The Trojans also have leading rusher Chris McNeal back and recently added former Penn State running back Silas Redd to the roster, as he was allowed to immediately transfer following the NCAA sanctions to Penn State. On defense, USC has seven starters back from a defense that allowed 23.6 points and 375 yards per game in 2011. The last two years saw the USC defense suffer the most. It’s unclear what kind of depth USC has on defense as it finally gets back on par with its available scholarships.
Hawaii will hope to continue its strong offensive history under Chow, as he led the USC offense to great numbers as the OC from 2001-04. The Warriors have six starters back on offense, but will be breaking in a new quarterback. The team still returns two receivers with at least 65 receptions. Defensively, Hawaii struggled in 2011, allowing 29.1 points and 387 yards per game. The Warriors really were rough against the pass, allowing 245 yards per game, which doesn’t bode well as they get set to face Barkley.
In terms of Injuries, USC receiver Robert Woods is probable to play despite an ankle injury while cornerback Brian Baucham is questionable with a concussion. Hawaii receiver Samson Anguay is questionable with a knee injury while defensive lineman Desmond Dean is questionable with an undisclosed injury.
The Public Bets are in solidly in favor of USC for this game, as the Trojans are getting 73% of the wagers with odds of -42 points against Hawaii at home.
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