USC Football: 3 bold predictions for Pac-12 title game vs. Stanford

1. Stanford pulls off the upset of USC

I’ve missed on a few of my bold predictions over the course of the year, but Vegas and Bill C even miss on theirs, so it’s only natural. However, I’ve had some gems with my predictions and I think this will be one as well: Stanford will upset USC.

The Cardinal are only eight spots behind the Trojans in the S&P+. I trust those rankings far more than the Coaches or AP polls. The S&P+ is about as accurate, if not more accurate, than Las Vegas betting sites. USC has the offensive advantage with their balance and big names in Darnold and Jones, but the Cardinal are coming off a come from behind victory over the Fighting Irish and David Shaw won’t let his squad take their foot off the pedal.

Bryce Love wasn’t as explosive against Notre Dame, rushing for only 6.3 yards per carry and not scoring. But the passing game improved and with K.J. Costello at quarterback the Cardinal are more versatile than back in their September meeting.

It’s also very difficult to beat a team twice in the same year. It doesn’t happen that often in college football. Teams adjust, get a chip on their shoulder, and show out. Especially in a conference title game. Expect the Cardinal to be ready for USC.

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The Trojans have a major distraction too, Darnold will be thinking as much about the NFL Draft as this season and I can see that posing a lot of pressure on the young man’s shoulders. The Cardinal defeat the Trojans by two points for the Pac-12 Championship.