The Georgia Southern Eagles and the USC Trojans meet Saturday in college football action from LA Memorial Coliseum. Here’s a USC vs Georgia Southern prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best USC vs Georgia Southern pick.
Georgia Southern Eagles Betting Preview
Overall, Georgia Southern didn’t play too badly in 2024. That said, the Eagles’ season ended on a down note with a bowl loss. Georgia Southern’s 8-5 overall record looks decent on the surface, as does their 6-2 run in a pretty tricky Sun Belt. The Eagles over-performed their modest preseason expectations with a second-place finish in the East Division behind only Marshall. Following regular-season-ending wins over Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State however, Georgia Southern fell in the New Orleans Bowl versus Sam Houston by a tight score of 31-26. The Eagles had lost only two of their previous eight games.
Georgia Southern has one game under their collective belt in 2025. That one came last weekend versus Fresno State. The Eagles would emerge from halftime with a slim 14-13 lead but failed to score again during a 29-0 second half on the way to a 42-14 blowout defeat. Georgia Southern’s JC French threw for 158 yards, two scores and a pick on 17-of-28 passing, while OJ Arnold had nine totes for 41 yards rushing. Tops in receiving during the loss was Camden Brown with four catches for 55 yards and a touchdown.
USC Trojans Betting Preview
Over on the Trojans’ side, they didn’t do too badly last season, all things considered. Amid a very tough Big Ten slate USC went just 4-5. The 7-6 overall record however, buoyed the team to a bowl game berth. The Trojans finished in the middle of the pack among the conference standings, behind Oregon, Penn State, Indiana, Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota. Even with a loss to Notre Dame at the end of the regular season, the Trojans were bowl-game bound, earning a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl against Texas A&M. USC came out victorious in that one by a score of 35-31 in a tense game two days after Christmas.
Matched up against Missouri State in their first action of the 2025 season, USC had very few difficulties during a blowout victory. The Trojans scored double-digit points in every quarter (including 28 in the second alone) on the way to a 73-14 result. QB Jayden Maiava had 295 yards and two touchdowns on 15-of-18 passing, and Husan Longstreet went 9-of-9 for a nice 69 yards and a TD of his own (along with two more ground scores). King Miller had 80 yards and a score on four carries, while Makai Lemon led the receivers with seven catches for 90 yards in the lopsided win.
USC Trojans Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 2, Jayden Maiava ranks 1st amongst qualified players for passer rating (155.8) this season.
Georgia Southern Eagles Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 2, Chance Gamble leads the Sun Belt Conference for interceptions (1) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- USC ranks 1st among FBS teams for points per game this season (73.0).
- USC ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q4 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Georgia Southern ranks T1st among FBS teams for red zone percentage this season (100.0).
- Georgia Southern ranks 135th among FBS teams for rushing yards allowed per game this season (351.0).
USC vs Georgia Southern Prediction
I’ll stay with USC, but I’m probably not going to mess with this one. The Trojans shouldn’t have too many difficulties in this one, and it’s likely to be their second blowout win of the year—barring an absolute calamity on the field, that is. In any case, USC is coming off a clinic versus an overmatched Missouri State squad, posting 597 yards (364 passing), a whopping 10.5 yards per play, 27 first downs and a 6-of-7 rate on third-down conversions. The defense gave up just 224 yards (159 passing) to the Bears along with 3.9 yards per play, 11 first downs, 3-of-14 on third downs and three takeaways (two interceptions). With those kinds of capabilities, it’s tough to imagine Georgia Southern having much success at all this weekend.
Speaking of the Eagles, they notched just 242 yards (158 passing) and 13 first downs on offense versus a pretty solid-looking Fresno State team. Georgia Southern gave up 351 rush yards on the other side, so it’s looking like it’ll be a long day against USC.