Stanford Football: 5 reasons Cardinal will beat USC in Week 2
By Zach Bigalke
Stanford avenged its 2017 loss to San Diego State to open the season. Here are five reasons the Cardinal will keep the winning ways going against USC.
Last year, Stanford lost twice against USC. They first lost in September to the Trojans, falling 42-24 in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to kick off Pac-12 play. Then they tumbled in the rematch in the Pac-12 championship game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, falling 31-28 close to home.
But 2018 is a new year, and Stanford has far more returning talent on offense and defense than the Trojans. They started the year with an emphatic 31-10 victory over San Diego State, exorcising the demons that plagued them after falling to a Group of Five foe in 2017. Now Stanford is looking at staying at the top of the Pac-12 North and getting a second chance at the conference crown.
According to OddsShark.com, the Cardinal average out to a five-point favorite against the Trojans when they square off on the Farm on Saturday. Clay Helton’s side has the winning streak on its side in the series, but Stanford looks like the better team heading into the contest.
In the rematch of last year’s conference title game, Stanford is going to prevail at home. Here are five reasons why the Cardinal will take down USC to stay unbeaten and consolidate its position in the top 10 of the AP Top 25.