Caleb Williams, USC a Big Favorite Against Colorado

Quinn Allen
By , Updated on: Dec 19, 2023 07:00 PM
Caleb Williams, USC a Big Favorite Against Colorado
  • What: USC vs Colorado - Week 5
  • Where: Folsom Field, Boulder, CO
  • When: Saturday, September 30th

Prepare for some more Online college football betting on Saturday, September 30th as Colorado's difficult schedule continues as they prepare to face Caleb Williams and the #8 USC Trojans at Folsom Field in Boulder. The kick-off is bright and early at 12 PM ET. The Buffaloes are in need of a bounce-back performance, losing in blowout fashion to the Oregon Ducks in Week 4, but we'll into that more below. As for the Trojans, they just beat Arizona State and come into this matchup with a perfect 4-0 record. Continue reading for the USC vs Colorado picks.

Before we get into the odds and analysis as to who could come out on top this Saturday, make sure to check out our reviews of the top online sportsbooks.

USC vs Colorado Odds

TeamBetOnlineBovadaBetUS
USC-1200-1400-1200
Colorado+750+750+750

By no surprise, the Trojans are a gigantic favorite to win this Pac-12 matchup. They're sitting at -1200 on the moneyline while the Buffaloes come back at +750. USC is also laying 21.5 points on the spread. The total sits at 73.5. The sportsbooks are clearly expecting this to be a high-scoring affair. It's 16 straight victories for the Trojans against Colorado, including a 55-17 win a year ago at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Williams Shining For USC

Caleb Williams is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and the projected first-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. That's a lot of pressure, but the quarterback is definitely living up to the hype. While Williams hasn't played a ton yet with the exception of Week 4, the numbers are big.

He's thrown for 1,200 yards, 15 touchdowns, and no interceptions while completing 74.3% of his passes. And against ASU, Williams completed 20 of 31 passes for 322 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, MarShawn Lloyd rushed for a ridiculous 11 yards per carry and Williams himself had a pair of rushing touchdowns. Out wide, Brenden Rice had seven receptions and two scores, too.

The Trojans honestly had it rather easy through the first few weeks, beating San Jose State, Nevada, and Stanford quite handily. The only reason the Sun Devils had any chance against USC is because Lincoln Riley's group committed 15 penalties. That kept Arizona State in the game. Regardless, this Trojans offense is first in the nation in scoring with 59.3 points per game. They also rank fourth in passing yards with 395.7 per contest, much in part to Williams' brilliance. With Colorado's secondary still without Travis Hunter, the signal-caller may have a field day in Boulder, especially after seeing Bo Nix absolutely rip the Buffaloes apart. Williams knows he's a level above the Oregon QB.

Tall Task For Colorado

Deion Sanders and Colorado have been the talk of college football. I mean, he did take them from 1-12 last season to nationally ranked through the first three weeks of the campaign, notching wins over TCU, Nebraska, and Colorado State. While there is no question that the Buffaloes are a force to be reckoned with and a very promising program, Saturday was a wake-up call. They're not quite elite just yet.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning talked his talk before the game and it clearly fired up the Ducks, who put a good old-fashioned beatdown on the Buffaloes by a score of 42-6. Colorado had just 199 total yards to 522 for Oregon and a mere 13 first downs. They were just downright outplayed. Shedeur Sanders completed 23 of 33 passes for a mere 159 yards and faced his first serious test.

Defensively, Colorado was shaky in Week 3 against Colorado State, and that unfortunately hurt them against a much better opponent. Both on the ground and in the air the Ducks just killed Sanders' squad. It will be another massive task ahead on Saturday against Williams and a USC offense that is truly fantastic. It will be very interesting to see how the Buffaloes deal with their first bit of adversity. As Primetime said, he expects his team to put up a much better fight in Week 4. To be honest, a win feels unrealistic but perhaps they can at least make things close with the Trojans.

USC vs Colorado Picks

Colorado is a good team but not as good as USC. At least not yet. 21.5 points seems a bit steep though considering the Buffaloes are coming off a deflating loss. Expect them to keep this one competitive.

Colorado ATS Vs USC
+21.5 (-115)
BetOnline

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Meet the author

Quinn Allen

Quinn Allen leverages his broadcast journalism degree and passion for sports in his betting previews and analysis. Based in Kelowna, Canada, he has emerged as an expert voice with picks featured on OSB, MTS, SBD, and as a ClutchPoints editor. With a lifelong fandom of...

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