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The Pac-12 Championship Game is one that oftentimes doesn’t mean a whole lot from a College Football Playoff perspective as the conference struggles to get a team in. This year is no different, but strangely enough the conference’s premier program with the USC Trojans could go undefeated and still not receive much consideration from the CFP committee. And the other team? Yeah, it’s the unranked Oregon Ducks, which finished 3-2 this season and are only playing because Washington is dealing with a COVID outbreak.
USC heads into Friday night’s game ranked 13th in the Playoff despite having the exact same record at 5-0 as the Ohio State Buckeyes, which are fourth in the rankings. Conference perception matters, and the Pac-12 doesn’t have a positive one.
This game will get started on Friday night starting at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
So where are sports bettors going as we get closer to game time? Let’s take a look. All odds and info were provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.
Point Spread
USC is going into this game as a 3.5-point favorite, and the bettors are siding with the Trojans. Eighty-five percent of bets coming in on the points spread for the Pac-12 title are going to USC with 76% of the handle.
Is the public right? No, I’m siding with Oregon in this one. USC completed incredible comebacks to win three of its five games this season, which is why the 5-0 record is a little misleading. I don’t think that will work against the Ducks, which are the better than any team USC played this season.
Over/Under
The point total going into this matchup is set for 63.5 and wouldn’t ya know it, a ton of bets are going in on the over. Ninety percent of bets are on the over in addition to 97% of the handle.
Is the public right? Wow that is an incredibly one-sided outcome. I’m going to actually go against it and take the under in this one. The defenses rank a little below average in yards per play allowed across college football and for as good as USC has been late in games, it ranks 53rd in yards per play offensively.
Moneyline
USC’s moneyline odds are set at -152 in this game with Oregon at +123, but most bettors are on the side of the Trojans with 64% of the bets and 85% of the handle.
Is the public right? I think this game is a toss up, though it’s difficult to predict since both teams have played just five games coming in. I’ll side with Oregon with the better value on the moneyline.
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