USC Trojans vs. Penn State Nittany Lions: College GameDay Crew Picks Against USC

The USC Trojans host the No. 4 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions at 12:30 pm PST on CBS. What did ESPN’s College Gameday crew have to say about the matchup on Saturday morning’s show?

The Hosts of College GameDay during their show early morning before the NCAA college football game between Texas Longhorns Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023 in Dallas, Texas. This game makes up the119th rivalry match up. / Ricardo B. Brazziell/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The USC Trojans look to get back on track with a win over the No. 4 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday afternoon at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 

ESPN’s College Gameday crew previewed and picked the matchup Saturday morning. What did they have to say about the Trojans?

College Gameday Live From Eugene, Oregon

Fans cheer as the sun rises during ESPN’s “College GameDay” Saturday, Oct. 11, 2024 on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ESPN’s College Gameday was live from Eugene, Oregon, Saturday morning for the top-three showdown between the No. 3 Oregon Ducks and No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes. 

The gameday crew wasn’t in full force as Lee Corso was not there due to health issues. Kirk Herbstreit was there for the beginning of the show but had to leave early to fly to Texas for the Red River Rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas. Herbstreit will be announcing that game, which kicks off at 12:30 pm PST.

Everybody Picks Penn State over USC

The entire gameday crew of Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit, and guest picker Kaitlin Olson all picked the Nittany Lions to go in the Coliseum and come out with a win.

The Nittany Lions are currently 3.5 points road favorites per DraftKings Sportsbook.

“Big Ten football has been tough for USC. I think that continues today. Give me Penn State to beat USC.” Pat McAfee said. 

The Trojans are off to a 1-2 start in their first season as a member of the Big Ten. 

For USC, it might be a good thing that everyone picked against them. The curse of the picks graphic could strike against Penn State.

Can Trojans Pull the Upset?

Oct 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Miller Moss (7) throws the ball against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans had a dream start to the 2024 season. USC got a massive neutral site game over a tough No. 13 LSU team. USC then followed that up with a 48-0 thrashing of the Utah State Aggies to enter the bye week with a 2-0 record. 

Following the bye, USC went into the Big House in Ann Arbor and lost to the Michigan Wolverines 27-24. It looked like USC got back on track the following week vs. Wisconsin, but they immediately followed that up with a 24-17 loss to the Minnesota Golden Gophers. 

Penn State is 5-0 and has one of the best defenses in the country. If the Trojans want to beat them, they will have to be able to give quarterback Miller Moss time in the pocket. Against Michigan and Minnesota, the Trojans offensive line got outplayed, which resulted in multiple Moss turnovers. Moss has also been taking way too many shots from defenders. I'd expect Trojans coach Lincoln Riley to key in on that heading into Saturday's game with more creative pass-blocking schemes.

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