Three Reasons Why USC Will Cover The Spread Against Arizona
After a narrow 28-27 home victory over Arizona State in USC’s first game of the season, the Trojans are heading to the Grand Canyon state to play the other university in the desert, Arizona. The Trojans are double-digit favorites again when they travel to Tucson to face the Wildcats. This time USC is a 14-point favorite, meaning Arizona would have to win by more than two touchdowns. So let’s dive into the three reasons why USC will cover the spread in week two.
Arizona could be rusty, USC won’t
The first reason why the Trojans could cover the 14-point line is because Kevin Sumlin’s team might come out of the gate rusty. While USC football got its first taste of live action against an opponent last week, the Wildcats haven't had that luxury. Arizona’s game against Utah was one of two games in the conference that got canceled due to issues related to COVID-19. Expect Arizona to be sloppy with the ball, and for USC's defense to force turnovers often and early in the first half. On the contrary, USC will make it a point to fix the mistakes. “There’s a lot we got to fix. Number one, the turnovers. If you turn the ball over four times and find a way to win, mercy. We’ll continue to build on our resume” (Clay Helton). Expect USC’s rust to be shaken off, which will help them cover the two-touchdown spread.
Kedon Slovis will torch Arizona's Defense
In his opening game of 2020, Kedon Slovis threw for 381 yards, two touchdowns and one interception completing 40/55 passing attempts in the win. That was against one of the best secondaries in the nation, Arizona State. Arizona’s defense doesn’t have the same level of talent as the Sun Devils do with Chase Lucas, Jack Jones and Evan Fields. To add, the Wildcats defense finished 2019 ranked 118th out of 130 division I college football teams in total defense, allowing 35.8 points per game. Now that Slovis has established connections with weapons like Drake London, Tyler Vaughns and Bru McCoy expect the QB to play better than he did last week, and throw four TD’s and 400 yards against a poor Arizona D.
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USC has to win big for a chance at the College Football Playoff
The way the 2020 season is starting to unfold, it looks like any undefeated team has a legitimate shot at the College Football Playoff, no matter how many games they’ve played. With USC being 1-0, that means they’re still alive. But in order to get noticed by the committee, a narrow victory over Arizona won’t be enough, and Helton knows it. “We have to continue being aggressive. We have a good offense and we’re going to let them play,” he said. There are not many other better chances for USC to get noticed by the CFP than to blow out a divisional opponent on national television after more than 10 games have already been canceled.
Overall, USC has a favorable matchup against Arizona on Saturday. The Trojans have the talent advantage in virtually every position, including quarterback, running backs, wide receivers and defense. So expect USC to roll into Tucson this weekend and dominate the game.
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TO WATCH: Clay Helton Discuss COVID-19 Travel Protocols. Click The Video Above.
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