College Football Picks: USC vs California

The five point underdog California Golden Bears host the USC Trojans a looking for rebound after being crushed last week against Oregon. The game kicks off Saturday, 8:00 PM ET at Memorial Stadium

The Trojans bounced back win the win 27-6 at home over Washington State after losing in week 3 at Washington 16-13.

USC QB Matt Barkley had the best game if his short career after he threw for 247 yards and 2 TD with no interceptions against the Cougars. The Trojans defense also step up their game and held Washington State scoreless until giving up a touchdown with 22 seconds remaining in the game.

On the other hand the Golden Bears had their worst performance of the season as they were crushed 42-3 at Oregon.

Cal was held to just 207 total yards, with Heisman Trophy candidate Jahvid Best only rushing for 55 yards on 16 carries. Junior QB Kevin Riley had his worst game of the year as he completed 38.7 % of the passes with no TD or interceptions.

It is difficult to believe that Best will have back to back terrible performances but at the same time I’m pretty sure Pete Carroll will have something prepared for him. All you College Football betting fans can’t forget that coach Carroll’s team performs best in the biggest games (not including the Championship game they lost to Texas a few years back of course).

Another fact to remember is that USC has won five straight over California, including the last two meetings in Memorial Stadium.

College football odds:

USC Trojans -5 -110
California Golden Bears +5 -110

My pick: USC won’t cover the spread.