USC vs. Minnesota Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for College Football Week 6

Reed Wallach | 3 Hours Ago

Sep 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Miller Moss (7) throws the ball against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC heads to Minnesota to continue its first season in the Big Ten.

While the Trojans pulled away late against Wisconsin, Minnesota couldn't do the same against Michigan as a comeback bid was stopped short on a penalty on an onside kick. However, is Minnesota onto something? Did the offense click in the second half to push the Trojans?

Let's break it all down with our full betting preview.

USC vs. Minnesota Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

• USC: -8.5 (-110)
• Minnesota: +8.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• USC: -315
• Minnesota: +250

Total: 51.5  (Over -110/Under -110)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

USC vs. Minnesota How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, October 5th
• Game Time: 7:30 PM EST
• Venue: Huntington Bank Stadium
• How to Watch (TV): Big Ten Network
• USC Record: 4-1
• Minnesota Record: 2-3

USC vs. Minnesota Key Players to Watch

USC

Miller Moss: Moss continues to chuck the ball around the yard, fresh off a 308-yard performance with four total touchdowns on 45 pass attempts. Moss and the USC passing game has done very well against Big Ten play thus far as the Trojans look to continue giving some more limited offense fits on Saturday. 

Minnesota

Darius Taylor: Taylor was shut down the last two weeks, combining for just 70 yards against the likes of Michigan and Iowa, two of the very best in the Big Ten on the defensive side of the ball. While USC has an improved defense, the run game is still poor, allowing more than five yards per carry and ranking 99th in defensive line yards. This can be a breakout effort from Taylor on the ground. 

USC vs. Minnesota Prediction and Pick

USC is making a second cross-country flight in three weeks to take on the Gophers in its first night road game of the season. 

While I believe Minnesota has benefitted from facing five limited passing games to inflate its defensive profile, I do think this group can slow the game down and grind this game to a halt. 

The Gophers would prefer not to get into a high scoring affair with the talented USC passing game that ranks 24th overall in Pro Football Focus passing game and has the ability to rip off explosive plays from all over with Lincoln Riley at the helm, which means I can see Minnesota opting to keep this on the ground. 

Wisconsin was able to move the ball effectively on the ground early against USC before losing game control in the second half while LSU and Michigan also proved this team can still be had on the ground. I expect Minnesota looks to force the issue with Darius Taylor and Marcus Major early and often in this one to shorten the amount of possessions the explosive offense has. 

The Trojans are in a tough spot here with a third straight conference game and excess travel that I believe this game can be more of a grind than the market anticipates. 

PICK: UNDER 51.5

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Follow Reed on Twitter @ReedWallach and get all his college football bets on betstamp @rw33

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