Stanford Cardinal vs. USC Trojans: Odds, Analysis, College Football Betting Pick

Stanford holds the upper hand in the rivalry with USC as of late, winning seven of the last nine meetings outright, including the Pac-12 Championship Game two years ago, going 6-3 against the spread. In a huge early-season conference showdown the Cardinal take on the Trojans at the Coliseum in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

College football point spread: The Trojans opened as 10.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark (line updates and matchup report).

College football betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 39.7-31.8 Trojans (College football picks on every game).

Why the Stanford Cardinal can cover the spread

Stanford opened its season back on August 26 with a 62-7 rout of Rice in Australia, covering as a 30-point favorite. The Cardinal then had last week off. Stanford scored touchdowns on its first four possessions against the Owls, led 38-0 at the half and didn't let Rice hit the board until just six minutes remained, already ahead 55-0.

For the day, Stanford outgained the Owls 656-241. Running back Bryce Love, trying to replace the departed Christian McCaffrey, ran 13 times for 180 yards and one touchdown in just over one half of play, while backfield mate Cameron Scarlett scored three rushing touchdowns.

Also, quarterback Keller Chryst, coming back from an ACL injury suffered in last season's bowl, hit on 14 of 24 throws for 253 yards and two scores. Meanwhile, the Cardinal defense limited Rice to 3.9 yards per play and forced a pair of turnovers.

Last year Stanford beat USC 27-10, outrushing the Trojans 302-117 and covering at -7.

Why the USC Trojans can cover the spread

Southern Cal opened its season with a 49-31 victory over a very game Western Michigan on Saturday, running its winning streak to 10 games. The Trojans were actually tied with the Broncos at 28-28 midway through the fourth quarter, then ended the game with a 21-3 run.

On the day USC piled up 521 yards of offense, 232 on the ground and 289 through the air. Junior RB Ronald Jones ran 18 times for 159 yards and three touchdowns, while junior WR Deontay Burnett caught seven balls for 142 yards.

Since last year's loss to Stanford, which was the last game the Trojans played that quarterback Sam Darnold did not start, USC is 10-1 SU and 7-4 ATS.

Smart pick

Stanford looks like it's found its replacement for McCaffrey. Now Love gets to go against a USC defense that just gave up 263 yards on the ground to Western Michigan. Also, the Trojans began this season as popular picks to click, and as such will probably play against inflated spreads. The smart pick here at sports betting sites is the Cardinal plus the points.

College football betting trends

The total has gone over in four of Stanford's last five games.

Stanford is 4-0 ATS in its last four games on the road.

USC is 3-0 ATS in its last three games in September.

All college football odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.