Lincoln Riley and the No. 8 USC Trojans aim to keep it rolling on Friday evening. USC hosts the Colorado Buffaloes at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the tenth game of the season for both programs. USC and Colorado have inverse records, with the Trojans entering the week at 8-1 and Colorado sitting at 1-8. The Trojans are 15-0 all-time against Colorado, with the Buffaloes aiming to bounce back from a 49-10 loss to Oregon in the last game and a 37-14 loss to USC in 2021.
Caesars Sportsbook lists the Trojans as 34-point home favorites in Los Angeles, and kickoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET. The total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, or the over/under, is 66 in the latest Colorado vs. USC odds. Before making any USC vs. Colorado picks, you need to see the college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's advanced computer simulation model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Colorado vs. USC and just locked in its picks and CFB predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see its picks. Now, here are several college football odds and betting lines for USC vs. Colorado:
- USC vs. Colorado spread: USC -34
- USC vs. Colorado over/under: 66 points
- COL: The Buffaloes are 2-7 against the spread this season
- USC: The Trojans are 5-4 against the spread this season
- USC vs. Colorado picks: See picks here
Why Colorado can cover
The Buffaloes have a grim statistical profile this season, which is to be expected given the team's win-loss record. However, Colorado has covered the spread in two of its last four games, and the Buffaloes will be getting a sizable cushion in a potential spot for USC to overlook them. Colorado should also benefit from USC's defensive shortcomings, with the Trojans yielding 409.2 total yards per game this season.
USC is third-worst in the Pac-12 in passing defense, giving up 267 yards per game, and the Trojans are also in the bottom five of the conference in rushing defense (142.2 yards allowed per game). Opponents are generating 4.5 yards per carry against USC and, on the defensive side, Colorado has two of the top five tacklers in the Pac-12 this season in sophomore safety Trevor Woods and senior linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo. Both should play critical roles against the explosive USC offense.
Why USC can cover
USC's offense is dynamic and excellent this season, but the Trojans also have clear paths to success on defense against Colorado. USC leads the country in turnover differential this season, leading to the nation's best mark in points off turnovers (83). USC has 14 interceptions, third-most in the country, and the Trojans have 29 sacks to lead the Pac-12. Junior defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu leads the conference with 9.0 sacks, including two last week, and the Trojans are allowing 25.2 points per game, No. 4 in the Pac-12. From there, Colorado's offense is highly vulnerable with unsightly metrics across the board.
The Buffaloes are dead-last in the Pac-12 in scoring offense (15.6 points per game) and total offense (303.2 yards per game). Colorado is also last in the conference in passing, averaging fewer than 190 yards per game, and the Buffaloes are completing only 50.5% of passes with 5.9 yards per pass attempt. Colorado is the worst team in the Pac-12 on third down, converting only 35.3% of opportunities, and the Buffaloes are also poor on the ground, averaging only 3.5 yards per carry and 113.8 rushing yards per game.
How to make Colorado vs. USC picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the point total, with only one player projected to exceed 45 rushing yards. The model also says one side of the spread hits in more than 50% of simulations. You can only see the model's picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Colorado vs. USC? And which side of the spread hits in more than 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Colorado vs. USC spread you need to jump on Friday, all from the model that has crushed its college football picks, and find out.
