USC vs. California
Free Pick: USC -4 -110 betting odds – point spreads
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Cal’s offense doesn’t seem to work against USC. The Trojans have held the Bears to 17, 10, 9, 17 and 3 points in the last five meetings. Last year, Jeff Tedford’s squad managed only 165 total yards against USC in a two touchdown defeat. Last week, at Oregon, the Bears managed only a single field goal on 207 yards of total offense. The concept here is fairly simple – when the Bears can’t find room for Jahvid Best to run, quarterback Kevin Riley and the limited passing game simply aren’t good enough to carry the team to victory.

After rushing for five touchdowns against the suspect Minnesota defense two weeks ago, Best was a non-factor last Saturday, as Oregon stacked the box and dared Riley to beat them. Best was held to 55 rushing yards in that contest. Against USC last year, it was 13 carries for 30 yards The Trojans rank in the Top 5 against the rush again this year, shutting down both Ohio State and Washington on the ground, allowing less than 60 rushing yards per game (1.7 yards per carry). That spells major problems for Cal on Saturday.

The Bears lost more than just the game at Oregon last weekend. This is a fragile team right now, struggling with their confidence after nearly a decade of consistently being unable to get over the hump against upper-echelon competition. USC has no such confidence issues, and their track record of success on the highway under Pete Carroll is nearly unprecedented. The Trojans have won 28 true road games by six points or more since the start of 2003. Expect another victory as a short road favorite on Saturday night in Berkeley. (#187) 2* Take USC.

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