Penn State Nittany Lions vs USC Trojans NCAAF Betting Prediction

NCAAF Penn State Nittany Lions vs USC Prediction 10/12/2024

The Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0) face off against the USC Trojans (3-2) on Saturday, October 12th. This game will be played at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles and televised on CBS. Penn State is coming off a win in their previous game, while USC is looking to get back on track from a loss to the Minnesota. Kickoff is set for 3:30 ET.

Penn State Nittany Lions vs USC Trojans

 

Penn State Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 7, Penn State’s offense is averaging 34.4 points per game, ranking 28th nationally. However, they are 16th in our offensive power rankings. Their ground game is strong, with 220.6 rushing yards per game on 39.8 attempts.

Nicholas Singleton leads the rushing attack with 408 yards, averaging 7 yards per carry, and has scored three touchdowns. Quarterback Drew Allar has thrown for 1,101 yards, with nine touchdowns and one interception, giving him a passer rating of 130.

USC Offense Breakdown

Heading into week 7, USC’s offense ranks 42nd in points per game, averaging 30.8, and they are 29th in our offensive power rankings. Miller Moss has thrown for 1,398 yards, with a passer rating of 91. He has nine touchdowns and four interceptions. USC is 7th in passing attempts, averaging 42.4 per game, and 9th in completions, with 27.4 per game. They convert 51.5% of their third downs, ranking 10th nationally.

USC is 27th in passing yards, averaging 292.8 per game, and their completion percentage is 64.6%. Moss has completed 64.5% of his passes. Woody Marks leads the rushing attack with 468 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5 yards per carry. Ja’Kobi Lane has 234 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 21 catches.

Penn State Team Defense

Penn State’s defense has been impressive this season, ranking 7th nationally by allowing just 11.4 points per game. In their recent game against UCLA, they gave up only 11 points, holding the Bruins to 260 total yards, including 93 rushing yards on 29 attempts and 167 passing yards.

Opponents are averaging just 81.4 rushing yards per game against Penn State, the 8th-lowest in the country. Through the air, quarterbacks have managed a passer rating of just 70.1, completing 53.4% of their passes for an average of 157 yards per game, which ranks 16th nationally.

Penn State Team Defense

USC’s defense, ranked 22nd nationally, is allowing 18.4 points per game this season. In their recent game against Minnesota, they gave up 24 points, including three rushing touchdowns, while allowing 195 rushing yards and 169 passing yards.

Opponents are averaging 158.4 passing yards per game against USC, ranking 19th in the country, and 158.4 rushing yards per game. Quarterbacks have completed 66.2% of their passes against USC, with a passer rating of 80.

Penn State vs USC Trends

  • Across their last five road contests, Penn State has been good against the spread posting a mark of 4-1. Their overall mark in these games was 4-1, while averaging 36 points per game.
  • Across the USC Trojans last ten home games, the team averaged 36 points per game while allowing 37. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 3-7, while going 5-5 straight-up.
  • Going back to their previous five games as the underdog, USC has an ATS mark of 3-2 while going 2-3 straight up.
  • In their last three contests as the favorite, Penn State has a poor record vs the spread going 1-2. But, they still put together a straight up mark of 3-0.

Nittany Lions vs Trojans Prediction

USC is the +5.5 point underdog at home in their week seven matchup against Penn State. We have USC winning straight-up, with a projected final score of 30-25 in their favor.

Given our projected final score, the over/under line of 47.5 points suggests that taking the over is the best bet, as our projection indicates a combined 55 points.


All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!


* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.