USC vs. Washington State: Week Five Game Predictions
We have been crossing our fingers all week that Sunday afternoon's game against the Washington State Cougars will go on as scheduled, and as of Saturday afternoon, it looks like the game is a go.
This will be Washington State's first game since November 14th, as the Cougars were also hit with positive COVID-19 cases, which prevented them from playing their last two scheduled match-ups.
This uncommon Sunday game was originally scheduled for Friday, December 4th, but was pushed back two days to allow players to be released out of quarantine, due to the NCAA COVID-19 protocols. This will be USC's fourth game of their shortened 2020 season, and if they take the victory over the Cougars, they will advance to 4-0.
USC will win if...
Kedon Slovis continues his accuracy. Slovis has thrown for 970 yards and five touchdowns in the first three games. He has an average of 70.7 yards and has completed 94 of 133 passes with a 70% completion rate. When looking at the strength of USC's offense in the first three games, it seems likely that Slovis can keep the passing game strong.
Washington State's run defense has also been lacking success, which means this could benefit Graham Harrell's run game. If the Trojans decide to increase the run on Sunday, they could see even more success against the Cougars defense who is allowing on 53.2% of ground plays against their opponents this season.
USC will lose if...
The defense can't put pressure on Washington State's quarterback, freshman Jayden de Laura. Although de Laura and the Cougars have only played two games this season, they are averaging 33.5 points per game. De Laura is quick on his feet and able to avoid pressure on his own.
USC's defense is solid, and let's not forget that they had one extra week to prepare and study Washington State's offense. But, if the Trojans don't continue to succeed in the pass rush, they could incur their first loss of the season.
The game will be aired on FS1 at 4:30 PST.
SI AllTrojans predicts: USC 31 | Washington State 21
FANDUEL has the spread set at USC -14.5. The over/under is 64.5
[READ: 10 Things To Know: USC Trojans vs. Washington State Cougars]
[READ: How to Watch Pac-12 games on Saturday, December 5]
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