Sports Betting Tips and Game Handicapping Picks » USC Trojans

Can the Tide roll on the Longhorns?

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 08:10:07 +0000

They are the favorites.

And that’s despite the fact that Alabama is coming to the 2010 BCS national championship game without any experience whatsoever playing in a game this big with the freaking national title at stake.

Yep, the Alabama Crimson Tide is coming to their first ever BCS national championship game facing the Texas Longhorns who have already won it five years ago on the same field that they’ll be in this Thursday night. We still like the Tide though, here’s why.

Third year head coach Nick Saban has engineered a quick turnaround in Tuscaloosa as he led the Alabama Crimson Tide to two undefeated seasons in the last two years. This season, the Crimson Tide dominated the defending national champions Florida Gators to win the SEC title, earning a bid for the Crystal Trophy for the first time.

Alabama enjoyed a significantly improved season on offense. Behind the rushing of Mark Ingram and the steady play of quarterback Greg McElroy, the Tide scored an average of 31.7 points per game, finishing 27th nationally.

Their running game was dominant, finishing 8th in the country and earning starting tailback Mark Ingram an invite to the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Their passing offense was efficient but it only finished 67th nationally, showing their commitment to running the football. With the way Ingram has been running with the football, nobody is complaining.

As good as their offense already is, the Crimson Tide’s true strength rely on their defense. They are the top-ranked defense in the country as far as points allowed are concerned at a mere 11 points per game. Tim Tebow and the rest of the Gators learned that the hard way when they could only come up with 13 points against the Alabama defense.

Alabama is also 2nd in the country in...

College Football Week 5 Betting Tips

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:02:59 +0000

And trust us, we have a couple of games that will prove to be good ones.

The 2009 NCAA college football season resumes with a couple of games you shouldn’t miss. Its only Week 5 and already, we’ve seen a lot movement as far as the national rankings are concerned.

First we have the fourth – ranked LSU Tigers visiting the Georgia Bulldogs, becoming the highest-ranked team to visit Athens in 14 years. However, it is safe to assume that the LSU Tigers are in a tough spot. They hardly survived their match against Mississippi State last week and their schedule doesn’t get any easier with a slew of tough SEC opponents ahead.

For what it’s worth, the LSU Tigers thrive on interceptions as they’ve picked up six so far this season, returning two for touchdowns. This Tigers defense is hungry, but it will still come down to stability.

Georgia won last year in Baton Rouge, Louisiana 52-38, and are also sporting a three-game win streak against the Tigers. However, the Bulldogs (3-1, 1-0) had a quieter offensive day last week, holding off Arizona State 20-17 at home, after scoring 52 and 41 points in the previous two games.

Let’s see if they can pick up the scoring against LSU.

The Bulldogs won their last matchup with LSU at Sanford Stadium 26-13 in 2004, still LSU leads the all-time series 14-12-1. Georgia is 9-1 versus SEC West opponents during the past four seasons and 20-5 overall against that division.

The other huge game this weekend is the contest between No.7 USC Trojans and the No.24 California Golden Bears.

The USC Trojans (7-1, 1-1 Pac-10) bounced back from...

2008 College Football Week 15 Tips

Jeffdstuff — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 13:24:39 +0000

Conference Championships, rivalry matchups, BCS considerations - Week 15 of the college football season is stacked with huge games.

We are one step away from Bowl season and this weekend’s results will have a big impact on how the bowl schedule shakes out.

The game that has the most bearing on the BCS bowl games is the SEC title game between the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide and the No. 4 Florida Gators—the respective SEC West and East champs, with all kinds of sports betting lines favoring the Gators by 10-points.

The game will be played on neutral territory at the Georgia Dome. Dating back to 1996, the two teams have been even straight up, going 3-3, while the Florida Gators have gone 2-4 ATS against Alabama, including four straight ATS losses in a row.

That said, the gators have not been a bankroll drain when favored by more than 8-points, as they boast a mark of 5-0 SU and a perfect 5-0 ATS the last five times they have been in this situation.

On the other side, Alabama has not been good at winning games when a dog of +8 or more, going 0-7 SU. However, they are a marginally profitable 4-3 ATS in that span, but it is worth highlighting that they have gone 4-0 ATS in the last four in this spot.

SportsBetting.com players are placing their chips on the Gators, as 64% of the betting action is coming in on Florida.

Another conference championship worth noting will feature the No. 20 Missouri Tigers taking on the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners for the Big 12 title. OU is a steep 16.5-point...

Texas Longhorns top BCS Rankings

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:00:30 +0000

The BCS rankings continue to shuffle and this week, it's no different.

Yes, the revolving door of the 2008 NCAA college football season continues to move as far as the BCS rankings system is concerned and it is no surprise that we have a new No.1 team in the nation this week.

The Texas Longhorns are the new No.1 team in college football after beating the Oklahoma Sooners 45-35. The Longhorns’ ascend to No.1 is the fastest in college football history since Miami went from sixth to first back in Aug.29, 1988, after beating top-ranked Florida State 31-0 to start their campaign.

The Longhorns received 39 first-place votes and 1,599 points from the media panel. The Alabama Crimson Tide received the other 36 first-place votes and 1,582 points. The Longhorns became the fourth team this season to be ranked No.1, following Georgia, Southern California and Oklahoma. It’s last season all over again that had four No.1 teams and eight different teams ranked second.

And for the second time this season, three of the top four teams in the country lost on the same weekend. While the losses by the previously top-ranked Sooners, Missouri and the LSU Tigers were already stunning, what it did on the BCS rankings was something harder to fathom.

Unbeaten Penn State Nittany Lions moved up three spots to No.3 while the Oklahoma Sooners dropped three spots to No.4 after suffering their first loss of the season. The Florida Gators gained six spots to No.5 after pounding LSU 51-21 last Saturday night.

The No.6 USC Trojans are followed by Big 12 rivals...

USC Trojans top early BCS Rankings

Jeffdstuff — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 03:20:01 +0000

The latest rankings have been released and it shouldn’t surprise you who’s on top at this point of the season.

College football’s BCS rankings are finally out for the 2008 NCAA college football season and after four weeks into the college football year, the Trojans from Southern Cal are back on top of the food chain.

You read it, after dismantling Virginia 52-7 in their season-opener before beating the crap out of the Ohio State Buckeyes 35-3, the USC Trojans are now the no.1 team in the country.

They have a perfect 2-0 record coming to their game on Thursday against Oregon State and I have a feeling these USC Trojans are only getting started.

Following these Trojans at the second spot are the Oklahoma Sooners, who are now 3-0 and is averaging almost 50 points per game. The Sooners crushed Chattanooga 57-2, Cincinnati 52-26 and disposed Washington 55-14. Oklahoma received 1,484 and 1,424 votes from AP Top 25 and USA Today Poll, respectively.

The Georgia Bulldogs are closely behind at the third spot with four consecutive wins to begin their campaign. The Bulldogs received 1,475 from AP Top 25 and 1,388 from USA Today Poll.

And you can bet your ass these guys are looking for a BCS national championship game by season’s end.

Securing the fourth spot are the Florida Gators, who are winning BIG for the last three games. They have beaten their opponents by an average of...

Can the USC Trojans win the BCS?

Jeffdstuff — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:11:01 +0000

USC is the poster child for consistency and this season, they might just find themselves winning a national title again.

The USC Trojans have always been the picture of success in college football. However, as the brand new 2008 NCAA college football season opens up the door of opportunity for other teams to shine, can USC remain on top?

The last time the USC Trojans dominated the college gridiron is when Matt Leinart was playing. Leinart led the Trojans to an AP national championship in 2003, a BCS national championship in 2004, and an appearance in the 2005 BCS national championship game.

Since Matt Leinart went pro, the Trojans were left for John David Booty to carry on that winning tradition. And although he has, in some way, accomplished that task, the domination USC once had was gone.

Now that John David Booty has joined Leinart in the NFL, leaving the Trojans wondering if they can remain on top with two of their greatest quarterbacks gone, what’s in store for USC this season?

For what it’s worth, Mark Sanchez looks primed and ready to take over after successfully filling in for Booty when he was injured last season. Sanchez is fortunate to have a defense dubbed as ‘’best defense in the nation'’ by many observers, to back him up too.

And if they can live up to the billing, the offense should have plenty of time to gel behind Sanchez. It’s no surprise that USC, thanks to that defense, is once again a heavy favorite to win the BCS national championship game given their...

NCAA Football Result: Illinois vs USC

Tristan — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 08:26:58 +0000

USC Trojans pounded Illinois Fighting Illini 49-17 to win the Rose Bowl Tuesday night. USC Trojans freshman tailback Joe McKnight finished with 170 of USC's Rose Bowl-record 633 yards. The 49 points tied a record, too, and the blowout gave the USC Trojans 11 wins for an unprecedented sixth straight season. The game featured 1,078 total yards of offense. Despite the margin, things were truly competitive for a brief moment. Illinois' running back Rashard Mendenhall broke a 79-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter to trim what had been a three-touchdown deficit to 21-10. Coach Pete Carroll favors or the trip to the title game he lobbied for, the USC Trojans (11-2) will have to take this overwhelming display in Pasadena. "Everything that was out there for us, we took, the rest of it is up for discussion. But would I love to still be playing right now? Sure would. We'd go out there any time, any place, any venue and throw our football out there and see what we could do." Minutes later, Illinois' running back Rashard Mendenhall scooted 55 yards with a screen pass from Illinois' quarterback Juice Williams, and Ron Zook's 13th-ranked Illini (9-4) looked as if they might really complete the impossible dream, from 2-19 over the last two years to Rose Bowl champions.

Rose Bowl Preview: Illinois and USC to play in the 94th Rose Bowl game

Tristan — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 16:21:41 +0000

Fireworks are ready to explode on New Year’s Day as the Big Ten University of Illinois Fighting Illini and the Pac 10 University of Southern California Trojans battle in the 94th Rose Bowl Game at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena. “The 2007 season has been an exhilarating display of the parity in college football, on behalf of the Tournament of Roses, we are thrilled to maintain the strong relationship of the Big Ten and Pac-10 with the Rose Bowl Game. We are proud to uphold this tradition and congratulate both universities for their tremendous seasons and achievements in earning a berth to the Rose Bowl Game.” Tournament of Roses Chairman CL Keedy said. University of Illinois finished the season 9-3 overall, and second in the Big Ten at 7-2. The University of Illinois Illini had key wins over then No. 5 Wisconsin and in Columbus against No. 1 Ohio State. University of Illinois Illini is the only team in the country to defeat the Buckeyes during the 2007 season. The Fighting Illini will be making their fifth appearance in the Rose Bowl Game. They are 3-1 in Rose Bowl Game appearances. The USC Trojans finished the season 10-2 overall, 7-2 in the Pac-10 with wins over then No. 14 Nebraska and No. 7 Arizona State. They clinched the Pac-10 title in their final game of the season with a victory over UCLA on Dec. 1. The Trojans will be making their thirty-first appearance in the Rose Bowl Game. They are 22-8 in Rose Bowl Game appearances. University of Southern California Trojans head coach Pete Carroll, who was No. 7 in the BCS rankings, insisted that they were not disappointed to be playing in Pasadena and facing the Illini. "For us seniors, it will be our last game in college football," Sedrick Ellis said. "It will be great. We've got Illinois and we're going to make the best of it." Trojans head coach Pete Carroll seemed bemused that at the end of a whacky football season across the country, the Rose Bowl will have a traditional matchup of teams from the Pac-10 and Big Ten.

College Football: Bowl Championship Series Betting Preview

Tristan — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 07:32:07 +0000

The long wait is over! Yes you read it right, after a roller coaster ride in the 2007-08 NCAA College Football Season we can now determine who are going to play in the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game. According to the Bowl Championship Series Rankings heading into the final week of the College Football Season, Missouri Tigers and West Virginia Mountaineers locked their Bowl Championship Series Standings in number one and number two spots respectively. All they got to do is win to win their next game and the Missouri Tigers and the West Virginia Mountaineers will slug it out in the penultimate Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game. For those who are wondering what is Bowl Championship Series in the NCAA College Football. Here is a quick explanation on how this thing works. BCS is defined as Bowl Championship Series. Bowl Championship Series is a five-game arrangement for post-season college football that is designed to match the two top-rated teams in a national championship game and to create exciting and competitive match-ups between eight other highly regarded teams in four other games. The bowl games participating are the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, FedEx Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, Allstate Sugar Bowl and the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game. College Football Odds and Betting Lines

College Football Betting Preview: USC Trojans (11) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (7)

Jeffdstuff — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 08:04:12 +0000

In the beginning of the 2007-08 college football season, the USC Trojans were ranked as the top team in college football. USC Trojan quarterback John David Booty was a Heisman Trophy candidate at the start of the season, but Booty has been a joke since. John David Booty, a fifth-year senior, is having a bad season and one of the worst by a Trojans quarterback since 2001. John David Booty has just tossed 15 touchdowns and thrown 8 interceptions. Because of John David Booty's lackuster performance, the USC Trojans have dropped to a ranking of No. 11, and they're struggling to remain in the hunt for a sixth straight Pac-10 title and another appearance in the Bowl Championship Series game. The USC Trojans (8-2 overall, 6-4 against the spread) must beat the seventh-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils to have a hope of playing in a big bowl game. ASU Sun Devils, who have a 9-1 overall record, 5-4 against the spread, still has an outside shot at ending up in the BCS Championship Game. The Arizona State Sun Devils must win out for that occurrence to happen. College football oddsmakers and college football handicappers are putting the betting line as: USC Trojans at Arizona State +3