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USC Tojans vs. ASU Sun Devils

by Kris Lazaro

11/21/07

After feasting on turkey and stuffing, football fans around the country turn their attention to one of the year’s best college football matchups. The Arizona State University Sun Devils (BCS #6) host the University of Southern California Trojans (BCS #11) in a Pac-10 battle that will surely define the Pac-10 race in the closing weeks of the season.

Both the Trojans and the Sun Devils enter this game off their respective bye-weeks, meaning both teams will be entirely focused on the field. The Trojans have found resurgence in their defense, allowing just 44 points to the opposition in their last 3 games (defending against offensive powerhouses such as California and Oregon). The Devils, meanwhile, are still struggling to find their own defensive identity, as they gave up 75 points to their last 3 Pac-10 opponents.

USC -3
ASU +3

Pete Carroll is currently 22-0 in the month of November, and it is this author’s opinion that is will improve to 23-0 after this Thursday’s tilt. Granted that this is a Thursday night home game, where the Devils are home underdogs (a role that has been profitable in recent seasons), the author feels that USC’s defense and coaching is simply too much for this Cinderella Sun Devils team. As this crazy college football season winds down, the cream will rise—and although USC has looked (and was) very beatable throughout the season, so has every other team.

Defense wins games and championships. This game will have a playoff-type feel to it, and it is this author’s opinion that this game will live up to the hype. Oddsmakers have pegged the Trojans a 3 point road favorite. The Sun Devils will put up the points, alongside the Trojans, but in the end, it is the coaching of Carroll and USC’s defense that will prevail in the end.

Game prediction: 35-24 USC.