USC vs. Stanford picks, predictions: Week 2 college football computer picks, betting odds, lines

A pair of Pac-12 rivals square off from the Coliseum this weekend as Stanford goes on the road against conference favorite USC in college football's Week 2 action on Saturday.

As expected, USC is covering the field pretty easily when it has the ball behind reigning Heisman quarterback Caleb Williams, who is already to almost 600 passing yards with 9 passing touchdowns and working with another crop of elite receivers like Tahj Washington and especially freshman Zachariah Branch, putting up 122 points in two games against San Jose State and Nevada.

Stanford got some good early returns for first-year head coach Troy Taylor after a 37-24 win over Hawai'i on the road in the opener as quarterback Ashton Daniels went for 249 yards and two touchdowns and connected with senior tight end Benjamin Yurosek for a career-high 138 yards receiving.

This rivalry dates back to 1905 and has been close the last few seasons. USC and Stanford have split the last four 2-2, while the Trojans won 6 of the last 11, and the Cardinal won 3 straight from 2015-16, including a Pac-12 title game.

What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

USC vs. Stanford picks, predictions

USC odds: The index is siding strongly with the Trojans, who have the 94.3 percent chance to win the game outright, according to the index projections that pick winners by simulating games 20,000 times.

Stanford odds: That leaves the Cardinal with an uphill battle amid a projected 5.7 percent shot to pull off the upset on the road, per the index.

Point spread: The oddsmakers agree, listing USC as 29.5 point favorites against Stanford, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook. Track it live

Total: 71.5 points

Moneyline: USC -10000 | Stanford +1100

USC predictions: The index rates the Trojans as the No. 5 ranked team in the nation on the latest 133 college football rankings, projected to be 20.8 points better than an average opponent, estimated to win 10.1 games this season, and the favorite in the Pac-12 title race, with a 40.3 percent shot at the league crown.

Stanford predictions: The Cardinal moved up six spots on the FPI poll this week, projected to be 1.2 points worse than an average opponent and estimated to win 4.3 games this season.

Stanford vs. USC schedule

When: Sat., Sept. 9
Time: 7:30 p.m. Pacific
TV: Fox network
Stream: fuboTV (Try for free)

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College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

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