The WSU vs. USC game on Friday night (Sept. 29) is an important one for the Pac-12 standings. The two undefeated schools will meet in Pullman for a primetime game that could provide a boost of momentum to the winner. The Washington State Cougars are in a rare position for the school, giving the team a shot to make some real noise on a national scale. For the USC Trojans, this might be a step on the way to a spot in the college football Playoff.
With identical 4-0 records, the teams have been given an over/under of 62.5 for Friday night. That predicts there is going to be a lot of offense, suggesting the team that can make the biggest defensive stop is going to put this game in the win column.
The spread favors USC by 4 ½ points so far, but the team is also just 1-3 against the spread this season.
Breaking down the Washington State Cougars
WSU got to this point by beating Montana State, Boise State, Oregon State, and Nevada. It’s not an impressive non-conference schedule for the Cougars, but the team did win its first Pac-12 game of the season against the Oregon State Beavers. Last week, WSU easily beat Nevada 45-7, continuing a great showing on offense this year.
The game plan for the WSU vs. USC game on the Cougars’ side is to set up a successful passing attack. The Cougars rank third in the country with 432.5 passing yards per game and 12th in scoring at 43.8 points per game. Those numbers came against some underwhelming competition, though, so there are questions about what the team can do against a vaunted defense like they will face this week.
How do the USC Trojans look for the 2017 college football season?
USC beat Western Michigan, Stanford, Texas, and California to start the year 4-0. That puts the Trojans at 2-0 in the Pac-12 standings and in a good position in the South. In the Week 5 college football rankings, USC is at No. 5, just ahead of the Washington Huskies at No.
6. The Trojans average 306.3 yards through the air and 185.8 yards on the ground per game while scoring an average of 37 points against their opponents. This should project to a lot of points against WSU as well.
Game time is 7:30 PM PT on Friday night (Sept. 29), with ESPN providing live coverage of the game from Pullman. A lot of eyes will be on USC quarterback Sam Darnold, who has been unimpressive so far this season.
He and Washington State Cougars quarterback Luke Falk could both hear their names called during the 2018 NFL Draft. First, though, the team must take center stage in the primary football game on Friday. For fans of how football is played in the Pac-12 Conference, this WSU vs. USC game is one not to be missed.
