Sports Book – Arizona State vs USC

Ready to head over to the Sports Book and place your wagers on this weekend’s biggest games?

Well start out west, where USC hosts Arizona State in a crucial Pac-10 showdown!

Arizona State Sun Devils (4-4 SU, 5-2-1 ATS) at USC Trojans (5-3 SU, 4-4 ATS)

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Saturday, November 6: 10:30 p.m. Fox Sports

Football Betting Odds:

Arizona State: +5 ½

USC: -5 ½

That’s right, even though the USC Trojans cannot go to a bowl game this year, they can play spoiler for a few other teams, their Saturday opponent included. If that’s to happen, they’re going to need better play on both sides of the ball than they got last weekend against No. 1 Oregon.

We’re hardly blaming the Trojans for that loss to Oregon, because again, they are the No. 1 team in the country. But at the same time, the coaching staff put them in a position to win the game, and they just couldn’t capitalize, as Oregon scored the final 24 points of the game, to win 53-32.

However, the one person who can’t be blamed for the loss is quarterback Matt Barkley, who is quietly putting together a spectacular season.

On the year, the sophomore has thrown for 2,133 yards and 21 touchdowns, while only getting picked off six times in 260 pass attempts. His best weapon continues to be freshman wide receiver Robert Woods, who was once again excellent against Oregon. Woods had seven catches for 59 yards.

Saturday though, USC will be playing an opponent that needs a win just as badly as they do. That opponent will be the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Arizona State hasn’t been a trendy pick in the Sports Book of late, but is coming off a dominating win last weekend against Washington State. In that game, quarterback Steven Threet had one of his best games of the season, throwing for 300 yards and three touchdowns, while Arizona State’s defense pitched its first shutout of the season.

Still, as good as Threet was Saturday, he can be just as bad at times too. And it’s because of his inconsistency that the play in this Pac-10 matchup is USC.

Threet is a player with a big arm, that occasionally does trust it a bit too much. That has burned Arizona State at times this year, as although he’s thrown 14 touchdowns, he’s also tossed 13 interceptions, which is third most in the country.

And with Arizona State never really establishing a running game this year (they rank just 82nd in the country in rushing yards), that only puts added pressure on Threet to make plays. Going against this opportunistic USC defense, that could be bad news for Arizona State.

In the end, this game will likely be close, but the difference will be quarterback play. Look for USC to shine with Barkley under center, and Arizona State to struggle just the same with Threet.

Go ahead and make USC your Saturday Sports Book selection. You won’t be disappointed!

Sports Book Pick: USC -5 ½

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