The No. 6 USC Trojans (2-0) host the Stanford Cardinal (1-0) in Week 2 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The game is set to kick off at 10:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 9. USC boasts the Heisman frontrunner in quarterback Caleb Williams, whose offense has measured up to expectations in the first two games of the season against San Jose State and Nevada. However, the Trojans defense has left something to be desired, despite being a clear offseason focus for the program.
Stanford won their season opener against Hawai’i, 37-24. They are operating under a new head coach in Troy Taylor, who was previously at Sacramento State. Ashton Daniels has taken over at quarterback and passed for 248 yards and two touchdowns in the win. The two teams have split their last four annual meetings 2-2.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game and a pick.
SP+ Rankings
Stanford: 83 overall, 96 offense, 65 defense
USC: 7 overall, 1 offense, 53 defense
Injury update
Stanford
N/A
USC
DE Tyrone Taleni – Questionable (undisclosed)
LB Eric Gentry – Questionable (undisclosed)
ATS/Total
Against The Spread in 2023 (check here)
Stanford: 1-0 ATS
USC: 1-1 ATS
Total in 2023 (check here)
Stanford: Over 1-0
USC: Over 2-0
Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: USC -29.5
Total: 70
Moneyline: USC -6500, Stanford +2000
Weather
74 degrees, clear, 5 MPH winds S
The Pick
Over 70
USC should be able to cover here, but with their defensive weaknesses, I’m more confident in the over hitting than I am in USC covering the spread. USC seems to be adopting the offensively-focused score-on-every-drive-and-win strategy rather than focusing on developing their defense.
The Cardinal’s defense looked excellent against Hawai’i, and while I don’t think they’re grabbing six sacks against Caleb Williams, they may be able to keep it somewhat closer than we’re expecting. With USC’s offense ready to run up the score after putting up 56 and 66 points in their first two games, the over is the safest pick of this matchup.