USC Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Washington State

1. Washington State’s offense is going to win their third-down battles

Entering the contest against USC, Washington State ranks among the bottom six teams in the country in terms of third-down conversion rate. They are dead last in the Pac-12, as the Cougars managed to convert only 27 percent of their third downs over the three-game stretch against Wyoming, San Jose State, and FCS Eastern Washington.

But they are also playing a USC team that struggles to contain teams when they get into third-down situations. When opponents are stuck on their third try to keep the chains moving, USC has allowed teams to keep the chains moving more than 40 percent of the time.

It is a dangerous game that the Trojans are playing, and on Friday night they will end up allowing Washington State to finish the game with at least 75 percent of their third downs resulting in a fresh set of downs.

An offense ranked 10th in total first downs is going to keep the chains moving on the road as they gash the Trojans for one clock-killing first down after another. UC is going to struggle to move the ball, and their defense is going to cheat a bit in hopes of getting a big play.