How and what to watch for Arizona State vs. No. 20 USC

The Arizona State Sun Devils kick off the opening weekend of Pac-12 action against the 20th-ranked USC Trojans on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET in Los Angeles. The Pac-12 Conference, along with the MAC, are the last FBS conferences to begin playing college football this season.

Head coach Herm Edwards’ Sun Devils are looking to improve from last season’s record of 8-5. In 2019 Arizona State had big wins over Michigan State, Cal, Oregon, and Florida State in the Sun Bowl. But they did not beat USC as they lost 31-26, part of a four-game losing streak.

This season the Pac-12 will be playing a six-game conference schedule, meaning there is no room for losses. One player to watch for Arizona State is sophomore quarterback Jayden Daniels, who played well in his first season of college football. As a true freshman, Daniels completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 2,943 yards, 17 touchdowns, and two interceptions. The 6-foot-3 quarterback had three games where he had at least three interceptions and zero interceptions. Daniels did not play in last season’s contest versus USC due to a lower leg injury.

As for the Trojans, they are also trying to improve from their record of 8-5. Unlike the Sun Devils, USC did not end their season on a winning note, losing 49-24 to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Holiday Bowl. The Trojans will be looking for sophomore quarterback Kedon Slovis to build off his freshman campaign and lead them to the Pac-12 title game. The 6-foot-2 Slovis completed 71.9-percent of his passes for 3,502 yards, 30 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 2019 as a former walk-on. Slovis will be targeting junior wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown frequently this season, who will take over as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver. The 6-foot-1 wideout had 77 receptions for 1,042 yards and six touchdowns. In last year’s game against ASU, St. Brown had a season-high eight receptions for 173 yards and a touchdown.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch Arizona State vs. USC on Saturday, November 7 at 12:00 p.m. ET on FOX (yes, 9 a.m. local time), or you can stream it via Fox Sports Go app with a cable or streaming service login.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Arizona State vs. USC (-11)
Point Total: O/U 55.5
Money line: Arizona State (+310), USC (-420)

• Arizona State is 2-5 against the spread in its last seven games.
• The point total went over in four of Arizona State’s last six games.
• USC is 5-2 straight up in its last seven games.
• The point total went over in six of USC’s last six games.

Betting splits

Arizona State: (63% of handle, 59% percent of bets)
USC: (37% of handle, 41% percent of bets)

The Best Bet

This is the inaugural weekend of PAC-12 football this season, and in the season of Covid-19 no one know what to expect on the field. The last time these two teams played each other, USC defeated ASU 31-26 without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was out with a lower leg injury. When healthy, Daniels is a dynamic dual threat, and showed that consistently in the Sun Devils’ biggest wins last season. This should be a good one between Daniels and USC QB Kedon Slovis, but like the underdog in Week 1.

Pick: Arizona State +11

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