2017 Cotton Bowl Analyst Pick: USC vs Ohio State

Written by Rohit Ghosh
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Cotton Bowl: USC vs Ohio State

This year's Cotton Bowl features a pair of 11-2 teams as Pac-12 champs USC take on Ohio State in what will be their eighth time playing each other in a bowl game. This is, however, the first time the two sides meet at this time of the year outside of Pasadena, CA, home of the Rose Bowl.

The Trojans won 18-15 on the road the last time the two teams met in 2009.

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Vegas Odds
Ohio State opened as a 6.5-point favorite before settling in a point higher in most books. The total moved up a half-point since opening at 64.

Betting Line: Ohio State -7.5
Total: 64.5

At the time of publication, 55 percent of the public were taking the points and picking USC.

69 percent of the action on the total has been on the OVER.

Betting Trend(s)
• USC is just 3-8 against the spread (ATS) in its last 11 games.
• The total has gone OVER in five of USC's last seven games.

What to Watch For

QB Matchup: Ohio State's J.T. Barrett vs USC's Sam Darnold -- all eyes will be on the QB matchup at this year's Cotton Bowl. Barrett is just 61 yards shy of a 3,000-yard season, but Ohio State coaches will be focusing on limiting his turnovers in this week's season finale. He has thrown 8 INTs in his last five games, including two in the Big Ten title game vs Wisconsin. USC's front seven has been great this year, led by LB Uchenna Nwosu.

Barrett is projected to finish with 209 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, to go along with 76 rushing yards and 1 TD on the ground.

Darnold is projected to finish with 290 passing yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.

Runnin' Wild: Trojans RB Ronald Jones II has run for 120 or more yards in each of his last five games.

Jones is projected to finish with 124 yards on 23 carries; he averages 0.8 TDs per sim.

Analyst's Pick
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2017 Pac-12 Tournament Analyst Picks

Written by Rohit Ghosh

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Pac-12 Tournament – Analyst Picks & Top Trends

It's tournament season and that means plenty of opportunities to wager on. As the Pac-12 tournament gets set to tip off, let's take a look at some trends and picks for games scheduled for Wednesday.

No. 9 Stanford vs No. 8 Arizona State University

The Cardinal offense has been sub-par this season, lacking any sort of consistency. They averaged just 69.1 points per game, bad enough to be No. 273 in the nation. While Reid Travis has the potential to have a big night -- averaging 17-plus points per game -- the team just doesn't have enough depth to win this matchup.

ASU got an impressive win over USC near the end of the season and should cruise to a win Wednesday led by their offense. Stanford's real opportunity in this game comes from ASU ranking No. 335 in the nation in scoring defense -- giving up nearly 82 points per game.

Betting Trends

• Under is 7-2 in STAN last 9 neutral site games.
• The OVER is 6-2 in ASU's last eight neutral site games.
• Favorite is 7-1-1 ATS in the last 9 meetings. Stanford opened as a 2.5-to-3-point favorite.

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No. 12 Oregon State vs No. 5 California

Oregon State and Cal match up in a fairly lopsided contest with the Golden Bears listed as 14-point favorites. Cal has been impressive on the defensive end of the floor this season, making them a dark horse to win this tournament. They're No. 14 in the nation in opponent scoring defense, holding teams to 62.4 points per game.

The Beavers are No. 334 in the nation in offensive rating at 93.8. The Golden Bears might even cover that -14 spread easily, but the safe bet's on the OVER.

Betting Trends

• The OVER is 9-1 in Oregon State's last 10 neutral site games.
• The OVER is 15-5 in Oregon State's last 20 Wednesday games.

USC vs Arizona: College Football Analyst Pick

Written by Rohit Ghosh
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USC at Arizona: Odds, Preview & Analyst Pick

ESPN features an intriguing Pac-12 matchup Saturday night in Los Angeles as the USC Trojans host the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona heads into the matchup with plenty of momentum, winning four in a row including a victory -- in which they put up 58 points -- last week over a ranked Washington State

Vegas Odds
The spread dropped a point since opening at -8, but it's the total that's seen some heavy action. The total shot up about 4-to-4.5 points since opening at 72.

Betting Line: USC -7
Total: 76.5

Betting Trends
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona's last 6 games.
USC is 5-0 straight up (SU) in its last 5 games at home.
USC is 4-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last 5 games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game.
USC is 4-1 ATS in its last five games following a straight up win of more than 20 points.

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What to Watch For
-USC is coming off a 48-17 win over Arizona State -- a game in which they finished with 607 total yards. Sam Darnold finished with 266 passing yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs.

-Darnold is projected to finish with 336 yards and 3 TDs. He averages 0.7 INTs per sim.

-Darnold's favorite target last week was WR Tyler Vaughns who finished with 126 receiving yards and two TDs.

-Vaughns is projected to finish with 69 yards on 5 receptions. He averages 0.6 TDs per sim.

Analyst's Pick

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USC vs UCLA: Odds, Preview, Pick

Written by Rohit Ghosh
Follow @rohitghosh on Twitter

USC vs UCLA: Rivalry Week Analyst Pick

It's rivalry week and we've got a fun Pac-12 matchup in LA featuring two of the best QBs in the nation as USC hosts UCLA at the LA Memorial Coliseum. The Trojans dominated last year's matchup 36-14 as they dominated the time of possession (43:47).

Vegas Odds
There has been very little movement on the spread or total since they opened earlier this week. The Trojans opened at 15-point favorites before settling in a half-point higher.

Betting Line: USC -15.5
Total: 71.5

At the time of publication, about 61 percent of the public was laying the points at home and taking USC. 73 percent of the wagers on the total have been on the OVER.

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Betting Trends

• The total has gone OVER in seven of UCLA's last 10 games.
• The total has gone OVER in four of USC's last five games.
• USC is 2-4 against the spread (ATS) in its last six games at home.

What to Watch For
Since putting up just 14 points against Notre Dame, the USC offense has gotten back on track averaging 45 points and 590 yards of offense over their last three matchups. The Trojans' offense goes as QB Sam Darnold does and he'll look to make a statement against a rival who features a QB that just might be picked ahead of himself in next year's NFL Draft.

Darnold is projected to finish with 320 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT.

UCLA heads into this matchup coming off a 44-37 win over Arizona State. Although their defense giving up 37 points is somewhat concerning, the offense was firing on all cylinders with QB Josh Rosen. He has been great at home this year, but on-and-off on the road. This is in LA, but still a road game. He enters this matchup with 8 TDs and 7 INTs on the road this year (four games).

Rosen is projected to finish with 308 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT.

Analyst's Pick

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