USC Trojans vs. Boston College Eagles Betting Odds: Analysis and Prediction

USC is coming off a big conference road victory but now heads across the country, where it will be a big road favorite over Boston College up on Chestnut Hill on Saturday night.

The Trojans are just 1-6 against the spread in their last seven games as chalk on the road. Is this a spot for a letdown, and perhaps an upset?

Point Spread

The USC Trojans opened as 20-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report can be found here.)

Why the Southern Cal Trojans Can Cover the Spread

The Trojans are 2-0 both SU and ATS, with wins and covers against Fresno State and, last week, at Stanford. Southern Cal blasted the Bulldogs 52-13, racking up 700 yards of total offense, beating the spread as 18-point favorites.

The Trojans then defeated the Cardinal up on the Farm 13-10, out-rushing Stanford 156-128, winning outright as three-point road dogs.

USC has 13 starters back from a team that went 10-4 last year, including RB Javorius Allen, who's rushed for 133 and 154 yards the first two games. Also, the Trojans beat BC last year 35-7 at the Coliseum, covering as 14-point favorites.

Why the Boston College Eagles Can Cover the Spread

The Eagles are 1-1 both SU and ATS, with a win and a cover at UMass, but a loss at home to Pitt. Boston College ran for 338 yards against the Minutemen but had to play catch-up against the Panthers.

Obviously, a key for the Eagles will be to run the ball to some degree behind an offensive line with three starters back from a unit that helped Andre Williams run for almost 2,200 yards last year.

On the other side of the ball, the BC secondary, with all four starters back, has allowed just 19 completions so far this season. If the Eagles can run the ball a little, control some clock and keep USC from making big plays, they'll have a chance to cover this spread.

Smart Pick

USC is clearly the better team in this matchup, but the letdown factor looms large in this spot. The Trojans just won a big game on the conference road, a victory that could come in handy when it comes to deciding the Pac-12 championship.

But USC must now compose itself, get on a plane and play a strange foe three time zones from home. UCLA just tried to cover a big number on the East Coast a couple of weeks ago, winning at Virginia but coming up short ATS.

So while Boston College didn't impress anybody last week, the pick here is with the home-dog Eagles against a USC team that has struggled in the role of road chalk.

Trends

• USC 1-7 ATS last eight games as road favorite
• Boston College 4-1 ATS last five games as home underdog
• Boston College 0-5 ATS last five games vs. Pac. 12

Note: All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark, all quotes gathered first-hand unless otherwise noted—check out Twitter for injury updates and line move updates and get the free odds tracker app.