The Utah Utes look like one of the teams to beat in the Pac-12 South as they visit the USC Trojans on Friday night. The Utes have won each of their first three games by an average of 22.3 points and have the momentum after beating USC 41-28 in last year’s encounter in Salt Lake City.
Utah Utes vs USC Trojans (Matchup Report)
Date/Time: September 20, 9 p.m. ET
TV Coverage: FS1
Sportsbook Odds: Utah -3 | O/U 53.5 (Line History)
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
This one opened with the Utes at -3 (Sportsbook) it’s the first time since 2014 that the road team has been favored, with the hosts going 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS since.
Utah News & Notes
The Utes are getting things done on both sides of the football, having scored 30-plus points in each of their first three games while allowing just 9.7 per game, good for sixth in the country. And while things are about to get a lot more difficult now that the Utes’ non-conference schedule is done, they come into Week 4 having gone 12-5 ATS in their last 17 road games.
The key for Utah this Friday, as it has been through its first three games, will be to establish the run – and the Utes have had no trouble doing that, with Zack Moss having racked up 373 rush yards and four TDs to date. Utah averages 5.6 yards per carry as a team, which bodes well for them against a USC team ranked 71st in rush yards allowed per game.
USC News & Notes
First, the good: Trojans freshman quarterback Kedon Slovis asserted himself well in his first start two weeks ago, erupting for 377 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-20 win over then-ranked Stanford. But Slovis – playing in place of the lost-for-the-season JT Daniels – took a major step back last week, throwing three interceptions in a 30-27 loss to Brigham Young.
The Trojans come into this one having been a truly dreadful cover option of late, going just 4-10 ATS in their previous 14 home games while covering only twice in their past 10 September games. And while the home team has covered seven of the previous eight meetings between these teams, Utah has been the superior play of late with a 4-1 ATS mark in the last five encounters.
Betting Pick: Utah -3
The Utes are no doubt buoyed by their performance against three non-conference minnows – and while they haven’t been tested yet, they’ve already handled a BYU team that beat USC last week and are the better of the two teams at the moment.
- Utah is 8-1 SU and 7-2 ATS in its last 9 road games in September.
- USC is 5-13 ATS in its last 18 games.
- The total has gone OVER in Utah’s last 4 games vs USC (avg. combined score: 62.0).
