No. 14 Utah vs. No. 18 USC picks, best bets for Week 8 matchup

Tonight’s slate will feature a rematch from last year’s Pac-12 Championship Game as the No. 14 Utah Utes head down to the L.A. Coliseum to meet the No. 18 USC Trojans. This matchup will kick off at 8 p.m. ET and will air on Fox.

Utah (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) was able to shake off a loss from the week prior by racing past Cal in a 34-14 victory last Saturday. The story of this game was junior quarterback Bryson Barnes doing an effective job in place of Nate Johnson, going 15-21 for 128 yards through the air and adding 50 yards and a touchdown on the ground. As has been the case for the entire season, there is still a question over whether or not veteran quarterback Cameron Rising will make his season debut tonight. Head coach Kyle Whittingham once again said that he’s week-to-week, but did confirm that a medical redshirt is a possibility.

USC (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12) had a really bad time in South Bend last Saturday as it was smacked by rival Notre Dame in a 48-20 blowout loss. Quarterback Caleb Williams had the worst game of his college career, throwing three interceptions in the first half and finishing with just 199 passing yards along with a touchdown. All three interceptions by the reigning Heisman Trophy winner directly led to touchdowns for the Fighting Irish, putting the Trojans in an early hole that they could not climb out.

SP+ Rankings

Utah: 24 overall, 55 offense, 10 defense
USC: 14 overall, 3 offense, 61 defense

Injury update

Utah

TE Thomas Yassmin - Out for season (Undisclosed)
RB Charlie Vincent - Questionable (Undisclosed)
WR Mycah Pittman - Out for season (Undisclosed)
RB Chris Curry - Out for season (Undisclosed)

USC

DL Korey Foreman - Questionable (Undisclosed)
WR Raleek Brown - Out indefinitely (Undisclosed)

ATS/Total

Against The Spread in 2023

Utah: 3-2-1 ATS
USC: 2-5 ATS

Total in 2023

Utah: Over 1-5
USC: Over 6-1

Team Pace

Utah: 1.96 plays per minute of offense
USC: 2.27 plays per minute of offense

Odds at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: USC -7
Total: 52.5
Moneyline: USC -290, Utah +235

Opening line: USC -5.5
Opening total: 55.5

Weather

64 degrees, partly cloudy, 5 MPH winds S

Our Best Bet for Utah vs. USC

USC -7

USC had its worst performance of the season last week and I’d imagine it would have a better first half as Caleb Williams most likely won’t throw three interceptions in this one. The Cam Rising question mark is once again something to monitor on the Utah side of things, but the Utes are also being ravaged by injuries to several skill position players. I’ll take the Trojans to cover and win at home here.