Prediction, Preview, and Betting Lines for USC vs Washington

Things just got real for these two former Pac-12 powerhouses.

A strong game against Rutgers late last Friday night helped USC get back on track after losing three straight games. However, 4-4 with all four losses by a total of 14 points is still 4-4.

This is not a layup, and Nebraska will not be either in two weeks. There is the rivalry with UCLA and the worry of Notre Dame, so yeah, it will not be easy to get to six wins and a bowl game.

The same is true for Washington, which is 4-4 and still has to go on the road to play Penn State and Oregon.

If the Huskies lose this game, they will likely not play in the national championship like they did last year and instead stay home for the bowl season.

USC vs Washington Preview

USC vs Washington How to Watch
Date: Saturday, November 2, 2024
Game Time: 7:30 pm ET
Venue: Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA
How to Watch: Big Ten Network
Washington (4-4), USC (4-4)

Why USC Will Win

The Washington offense is not very good.

It is not at all like the Michael Penix Jr. team from last year. Points and yards are going all over the place.

Washington has a lot of passing yards, but they are not scoring enough points. In their last six games, they lost all of them because they failed to score 20 points.

The ground game is fine, but it is just going along for the ride. Will Rogers, the quarterback, will complete 70% of his passes, but his team has the best defense in the Big Ten at stopping drives on third down.

Yeah, USC has a lot of problems, but one of them is not making the money downs. But…

Why Washington Will Win

You do not need to worry about the USC pass rush.

It does make something nice once in a while, but most of the time it does not put nearly enough pressure on it. Another problem with the USC defense is that it lets points go through.

Remember how I said that Washington only does well when it scores 20 points? It is 4-0 when they score at least 20, and 0-4 when they don’t. USC beat Utah State 1-0, but in the other seven games, they gave up 20 points or more.

USC is having trouble with the road. The team lost three games on the road, at Michigan, Minnesota, and Maryland, when it was down late. They should be 7-1 now.

The Huskies lost all four games away from Husky Stadium, though the game against Washington State was only a few miles away.

USC vs Washington: Who Will Win

There is another way to change how important it is for Washington to score 20 points that has not been talked about enough: both teams are scoring.

Yes, USC has given up 20 or more points in every game, but it is 40 points when it gives up less than 24. Washington has only scored 24 points or less in five of its last six games. In its win over Michigan, it scored 27 points.

The Washington defense will keep this close the whole game, but Indiana’s passing game has not looked anything like USC’s since starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke was not there last week.