Arizona vs. USC picks, best bets for Week 6 matchup

The night shift for Saturday’s college football slate brings us to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum, where the Arizona Wildcats will pay a visit to the No. 9 USC Trojans. The game will kick off at 10:30 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN.

Arizona (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12) fell to Washington in a 31-24 home loss last week, a game where it managed to hang around and make the final score respectable in the fourth quarter. With starting quarterback Jayden de Laura out with an ankle injury, backup Noah Fifita stepped in and did a pretty decent job in his place. The redshirt freshman went 27-39 for 232 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in the loss. De Laura is considered questionable heading into this matchup and Fifita will once again take the reigns if he’s deemed not healthy enough to play.

USC (5-0, 3-0 Pac-12) traveled to Colorado last Saturday and survived a late comeback attempt, escaping Boulder with a 48-41 victory. The Caleb Williams-led offense was rolling in the first half, jumping out to a 34-7 lead with 2:34 left before halftime. Holding a 48-21 lead late in the third, however, the defense began to buckle as the Buffaloes came rumbling back CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw three touchdowns and got the Buffs back to within a touchdown with less than two minutes remaining. However, SC would recover the ensuing kickoff to survive.

SP+ Rankings

Arizona: 49 overall, 23 offense, 92 defense
USC: 10 overall, 1 offense, 52 defense

Injury update

Arizona

RB Michael Wiley - Questionable (Leg)
QB Jayden de Laura - Questionable (Calf)
RB Brandon Johnson - Out indefinitely (Undisclosed)
WR Chris Hunter - Out indefinitely (Undisclosed)

USC

WR Raleek Brown - Questionable (Undisclosed)
DL Korey Foreman - Questionable (Undisclosed)
WR Zachariah Branch - Questionable (Undisclosed)
S Max Williams - Questionable (Undisclosed)

ATS/Total

Against The Spread in 2023

Arizona: 4-1 ATS
USC: 2-3 ATS

Total in 2023

Arizona: Over 0-5
USC: Over 4-1

Team Pace

Arizona: 2.21 plays per minute of offense (77th)
USC: 2.27 plays per minute of offense (67th)

Odds at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: USC -21
Total: 72
Moneyline: USC -1800, Arizona +1000

Opening line: USC -22
Opening total: OFF

Weather

68 degrees, partly cloudy, 4 MPH winds S

Our Best Bet for Arizona vs. USC

Arizona +21

For a team with College Football Playoff aspirations, USC’s defense has been a liability at times and it will cost them as they face off against the top teams in the Pac-12 down the stretch. Even without Jayden de Laura, Arizona was game to at least be competitive against a tough Washington team last week and there’s a chance it can do the same against the Trojans here. While I don’t anticipate the Wildcats pulling off the outright upset, I do have them covering at the Coliseum.