USC vs Utah Pac 12 Championship Predictions, Picks and Odds December 2

USC vs Utah Betting Preview

USC is one win away from clinching a berth in the College Football Playoff. The only team standing in the Trojans’ way is the only team to beat them during the regular season, the Utah Utes. WagerTalk college football handicapper Kevin Dolan shares his thoughts on Friday’s Pac-12 Championship Game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

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Friday, December 2	Pac 12 College Football Betting Notes
Point Spread:	USC Trojans -3 vs Utah Utes
Total:	o/u 67 Points
Location:	Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV
Game Time:	8:00pm ET / 5:00pm PT (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings)
TV:	FOX

USC vs Utah Betting Analysis

The Utes needed a lot of things to go their way last weekend in order to make this game, including a win against Colorado, UCLA to beat California and Oregon State to beat Oregon. Utah was finally able to celebrate and book their tickets to Vegas once Washington beat Washington State in the Apple Cup.

As if the College Football Playoff carrot isn’t enough motivation for the Trojans, USC will also be able to tap into the revenge factor. Utah won the regular season meeting 43-42 in Salt Lake City, with the Utes scoring the game-winning touchdown with just 48 seconds remaining.

USC owns the 13-8 series advantage over Utah historically, but the Utes have won each of the last two meetings against the Trojans.

Utes’ Run Defense Continuing To Improve

The Utes own a top-25 defense this season, which has been fueled by stopping the run. Utah’s opponents are averaging just 117.5 yards per game on the ground, and that unit has continued to get better as the season wears on.

Utah’s last three opponents – Colorado, Oregon, and Stanford – have been held to just 47.7 yards per game on the ground (No. 3 nationally during this run). Those three teams were able to generate just 3.7 rushing first downs per game.

USC’s Offensive Juggernaut

USC’s offense will no doubt be extremely confident ahead of Friday’s matchup. The Trojans’ offense is No. 4 in the country in yards this season and averaged 8.1 yards per play in that first game with the Utes.

Just like Utah’s defense, USC’s offense seems to be getting stronger as the season has worn on, averaging 539.3 yards per game over their last three starts against Notre Dame, UCLA and Colorado. The neutral site environment shouldn’t bother the Trojans because they were No. 2 in yards per game on the road this season (538 per game).

USC vs Utah Prediction

We have to look toward taking the USC Trojans in this matchup as they’ve been an incredibly impressive unit all season.

Utah’s 9-3 record looks nice, but any time the Utes have stepped up in competition this season, they’ve struggled. Utah’s only notable win this season came against the Trojans, and they trailed for almost the whole game, were the beneficiary of 12 penalties and needed a last-minute touchdown to win.

Utah lost the yardage battle in all three of their losses to Oregon, UCLA and Florida. Beating Stanford and Colorado by 35+ looks nice on paper, but any time the Utes took a step up in class, they failed to impress. Take USC over Utah in Friday night’s Pac-12 Championship Game.

Prediction: USC Trojans Moneyline -150

Happy Hour CFB Kickoff Show

Join a panel of WagerTalk college football handicappers for the Happy Hour CFB Kickoff Show as we break down this week’s college football betting slate from a variety of handicapping angles.

College Football Odds Screen

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Meet the Author

‘The sharpest sports mind in Ireland’ is how one prominent newspaper dubbed Kevin Dolan after he became the first foreigner ever to win the World Series of Handicapping tournament back in 2015. “The Irishman” made his start wagering on GAA, football, soccer and boxing, all to immense success. Since becoming a professional bettor, he has since lit up the sports betting scene in the U.S. and abroad, winning two handicapping awards and writing a best-selling book on sports handicapping named ‘The Complete Guide to Sports Betting’.

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