USC vs. Colorado: Betting odds, lines, picks against the spread - Los Angeles Times
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USC vs. Colorado: Betting odds, lines and picks against the spread

USC tight end Lake McRee is congratulated by lineman Brett Neilon and quarterback Caleb Williams after scoring a touchdown.
USC tight end Lake McRee, center, is congratulated by lineman Brett Neilon (62) and quarterback Caleb Williams (13) after scoring a touchdown in a win over Cal on Nov. 5.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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It’s no surprise that oddsmakers have the USC Trojans (8-1, 6-1 in the Pac-12) as huge 34-point favorites when they host the Colorado Buffaloes (1-8, 1-5) at 6:30 p.m. PST Friday in the Coliseum.

USC is No. 8 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and hopes to have a path to the “Final Four†if they can beat No. 12 UCLA, No. 20 Notre Dame and then potentially No. 6 Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday, Dec. 2, in Las Vegas.

But first the Trojans must take care of business (and “style points†wouldn’t hurt) against Colorado as they’ll rely on quarterback Caleb Williams (2,742 passing yards, 28 TDs, just 1 INT). Williams is the fourth betting choice in DraftKings’ Heisman Trophy odds at 9-1.

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Even though the spread is so high, 59% of the bets and 79% of the money has been on the Trojans at DraftKings as of late Wednesday morning. For updated betting splits on all major sports, see the dedicated VSiN page.

USC did cover a huge spread like this as a 32.5-point favorite when it routed Rice 66-14 in the opener, but the Trojans have failed to cover in wins over Arizona State (-24.5 in 42-25 win), Arizona (-14 in 45-37 win) and Cal (-21 in 41-35), so let the bettor beware when the spread is so high. Giving hope to USC backers is the fact Colorado is just 2-7 ATS despite usually getting a lot of points, including a 49-10 loss vs. Oregon last Saturday as 31.5-point home dogs.

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The Over/Under opened at 64 points and has been bet up to 66 with 44% of the bets and 61% of the money on the Over at DraftKings with the Trojans expected to do most of the scoring as the projected score on a game like this with a 34-point spread and 66-point total would be USC 50, Colorado 16.

For more sports betting content, check out www.VSiN.com. Sign up to be a subscriber at VSiN.com/subscribe.

USC receivers Michael Jackson III and Tahj Washington help offense stay afloat during the absence of other key receivers and a recent porous defense.

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