College football odds: USC a slight home favorite against No. 3 Utah

The struggling USC Trojans, losers of two straight games, enter their home matchup against the No. 3 Utah Utes as a slight favorite.

The USC Trojans are just 2–3 straight up and 1–4 against the spread in their last five home games against Pac-12 opponents. The Trojans will try to turn that misfortune around this Saturday when they host the Utah Utes at the Coliseum.

USC is a 3.5-point home favorite according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. In its last eight games as a favorite of four points or less, USC is 3–5 SU and ATS.

On the road against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish last Saturday following a 17–12 home loss to Washington, the Trojans actually played pretty well. USC erased an early two-touchdown deficit to eventually take a 31–24 lead, but eventually fell to the Fighting Irish 41–31.

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Given a full week to prepare under new head coach Clay Helton and no longer dealing with the shock of Steve Sarkisian’s firing, the Trojans will look for better results at home this Saturday.

The Trojans need a win this week to regain some of their luster. USC is just 1–3 SU and ATS over its last four games per the OddsShark College Football Database.

The Utes had a potential trap game on their hands last week hosting the Arizona State Sun Devils one week before this big game at USC. But the Utes stayed focused, picked up a 34–18 win and covered to bring their record to 6–0 SU and 4–2 ATS on the year.

Utah has thrived in the role of road underdog over the last two seasons with a 4–1 SU and 5–0 ATS record in the team’s last five instances as one. Three of those five outright wins were as a double-digit dog.

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The total for Saturday’s game is set at 59.5 points. The UNDER is 10–3 in Utah's last 13 games as a road underdog.

Utah has climbed all the way up to No. 3 in the AP Top 25, but the Coaches Poll still has the Utes sitting outside of the top 5 at No. 7. A statement road win over the Trojans could earn the Utes some serious respect, while a win by USC would help get its program back on track.