David Pollack picks winner, final score for USC-Illinois matchup in Week 5

On his podcast, See Ball Get Ball, college football analyst and former Georgia All-American David Pollack laid out his pick, score prediction and comprehensive breakdown of the consequential Big Ten matchup between USC and Illinois.

The Illini return to Champaign after a beatdown so bad that Pollack used about five different phrases to describe the pain Indiana inflicted on Illinois en route to a 63-10 final score. Unfortunately for the home side, Pollack sees similarities between the Hoosiers and Trojans.

"Well, it’d be nice to bounce back with a team that doesn’t have a similar recipe as the team that just beat the absolute tar out of you," Pollack said. "Like, yes, they can run the football, have balance, they have a big, strong quarterback that can make plays with his feet, also push the ball down the field to elite weapons. Like, the recipe is very similar."

In order to prevent last weekend's disaster from repeating itself, Pollack emphasized that Illinois must protect its quarterback better.

"Now you’re at home, so that helps protect your quarterback, which was the biggest reason why you got donkey-stomped last week," he commented. "Listen, if you protect Altmyer, he’s a great player. We know that they’ve got to do that. That’s where it starts and that’s where it finishes, to me."

Pollack's co-host, Brent Rollins, tacked on some ugly factoids for the Illini offensive line... that they rank 17th out of 18 in the Big Ten in pass block grade, and are 64th out of 68 total power conference units in pass blocking. That is no recipe for a victory. But if protection can improve, Illinois QB Luke Altmyer may have holes to exploit in the USC secondary.

"Do they have enough firepower?" Pollack asks of Illinois. "The weakness of USC so far has been the passing game, defending the passing game. So, keep your man upright, make some plays out wide."

On the other side of the ball? USC is exceptionally tough to slow down with their three-headed monster of quarterback plus two star wideouts who can break open the defense like a pinata at any moment, meanwhile the running game is quietly as strong as ever.

"Defense has to find a way to slow down the juggernaut that’s been the USC offense," Pollack added/ "Because it has been an absolute juggernaut. I mean, one of the better one-two punches in all of college football at receiver, they're running the football better right now than they have since Reggie Bush and Lindell White was a combination. So that’s what they’re doing now with the weapons out wide, leading the nation in passing attempts or yards-per-attempt. Like, it’s it’s ground-and-pound and bombs away."

Pollack also noted that USC quarterback Jordan Maiava is taking much better care of the ball now, and if he continues to find those receivers in space while relying on the running game to power the offense down the field, Illinois might not have enough answers.

"The only question I have with USC: Can they be great in the back end?" Pollack wondered. "Do they have to be great against Illinois? I don’t think they have to be elite of elite. I got USC 34-27."

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