Rice Owls (0-0) vs. USC Trojans (0-0)
September 3, 2022 6:00 pm EDT
The Line: USC Trojans -34 / Rice Owls +34; Over/Under: 64
(Get latest betting odds)
The USC Trojans and Rice Owls meet Saturday in a college football week 1 showdown from LA Memorial Coliseum. Rice is coming off a spotty 4-8 season in 2021, going 3-5 in Conference USA play. As for USC, they logged a 4-8 overall record as well, last year with a 3-6 mark in Pac-12 games. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.
Rice sputtered for most of the season in 2021, eventually putting up a 4-8 overall record. The Owls went just 3-5 in Conference USA games, which put the team just two spots out of the basement in the West Division.
The Owls started out the year with three straight losses, but found some mid-season form with a 3-1 run in September and October. Rice would then fall in four more consecutive games before finishing off the season with a win over Louisiana Tech 35-31.
Over on the USC side, they had a forgettable campaign in 2021. The Trojans posted a 4-8 overall record and a 3-6 run in Pac-12 games. USC finished ahead of only Colorado and Arizona in the South Division of the conference.
The Trojans started out at 1-1 last year following a 42-28 loss to Stanford that caused sixth-year head coach Clay Helton to be fired. USC wouldn’t win consecutive games all season, and they finished things off with four straight losses to Arizona State, UCLA, BYU and California.
The Owls are 1-4 ATS in their last five overall and 1-5 ATS in their last six road games. Rice is 0-4 in their last four in September.
Meanwhile, the Trojans are 6-14 ATS in their last 20 in September and 4-11 ATS in their last 15 non-conference games. USC is 1-5 ATS in their last six at home.
PICK: I’m going with USC, but the line is probably too thick to mess with. It’s going to be an interesting year for the Trojans in 2022 as they pivot to join up with the Big Ten in 2024. The big question for the Trojans is how well they’ll bounce back from last year’s dismal campaign, and by most indications USC should take a huge step forward. Lincoln Riley will need to win immediately to keep the pressure off, and the good news is that he’s got the offense to do it. Transfer Jordan Addison will give the team a star option on the outside and keep the passing game flying high. I like USC to come out of the gate strong here and post a solid cover.
