USC vs. Washington: Big Ten Battle in Seattle – Week 10 Predictions

USC Trojans (4-4 SU, 5-3 ATS) vs. Washington Huskies (4-4 SU, 3-5 ATS)

NCAA Football Week 10

Date/Time: Saturday, November 2, 2024 at 7:30PM EDT

Where: Husky Stadium, Seattle, Washington

TV: Big Ten Network

The USC Trojans take on the Washington Huskies in a Big Ten battle from Seattle on Saturday. Both teams have found the conference transition to be difficult, but maybe being in a more-familiar pairing will give way to better play for these 4-4 teams. On Friday, USC was able to put up a 42-20 win over Rutgers at home to snap a three-game losing streak and notch their second conference win. Things didn’t go as well for Washington, losing their second in a row at Indiana, 31-17. Like USC, they only have two conference wins in their new stomping grounds in the Big Ten. Who should we get behind this Saturday in Seattle?

Slim Pickings on Both Sides

One day we will look back at this season for the Trojans and Huskies and tend to write it off as tough times in a transition season. Still, you try to look for the silver lining. With a program like USC and all their talent, 4-4 is a rough spot to be in. Still, with all their losses being by the one-score variety with a cumulative margin of 14 points in those four losses, they’re not so far off. Washington, meanwhile, has lost their last two games by a total of 38 points. Making that equation a bit worse for the Huskies is that USC has maybe seen a little tougher schedule up to this point.

At the very least, you could say that USC has kept itself from slipping to super-low depths. I’m not sure you can say the same thing about the Huskies, whose last two performances represent a real rock-bottom moment for a program, the lowest they’ve been at in a number of seasons. USC has issues-galore, namely ones on the defensive side of the ball. But they still have a lot of talent on an offense that, while not what it was, is still pretty dangerous.

Pros and Cons for the Trojans This Week

Again, there are still pieces on this USC offense that can make a difference. We got a glimpse of that in their last game, with QB Miller Moss and RB Woody Marks combining for six touchdowns. Their search for a true number-one receiver continues, but seeing Makai Lemon go off last week was promising. We saw a flow and consistency that had been missing from this USC offense since the departure of current Bears’ starter Caleb Williams. Moss played better, and we saw both the run and the pass combine in a more lethal way reminiscent of recent seasons, and not so much what we saw through the first seven games.

But while the Trojans’ defense was able to hold it together against a suddenly-wayward Rutgers team, things might not come off as swimmingly against the Huskies. Injuries on defense will need to be monitored leading up to Saturday, but their secondary is really in a state of turmoil on the personnel front. Again, Rutgers is maybe a team where it won’t show as badly, especially as USC is pounding them on offense and controlling the game. In a more competitive setting, will we see that part of the USC team start to come apart at the seams a bit more?

Huskies’ Route to Success

Theoretically, the Huskies would like to unleash QB Will Rogers and his aerial attack on this beleaguered Trojans’ pass defense. It’s a big part of what they do. Sure, RB Jonah Coleman is a key cog in this offense and gives the Washington offense some good variety. But Rogers, when dialing it in with targets like Giles Jackson and Denzel Boston, can really get things moving. His form lately has been a big part of the Washington downturn, and after starting off with 10 TDs and no picks, he has just three touchdowns and four interceptions in his last three games. Coleman, meanwhile, has been showing a lively set of legs in recent weeks and if they can get the game-script to cooperate and get him a steady workload, he could get a lot done in this spot.

While the Huskies were able to thrive in a shootout last season when a lot of the pieces on both sidelines were different, they’d probably want to keep this one from getting too offensive. Defensively, they are not what they once were—either in terms of resistance or getting big plays. The one-time defensive back factory is no longer that, and it’s a huge detriment in a game like this. When looking back to prior seasons between the two teams, the one lasting element that continues is the talent on the USC offense. And I’m not sure if what we’ve seen lately from Washington bodes well for that.

Lay the Short Number

There is a reason USC is struggling this season. Automaticity is not in their makeup. This isn’t an easy road spot for the Trojans, but the setting is at least familiar and not totally remote. Against an opponent at a similar station in life that is operating at roughly the same levels of functionality, you could see some of the better aspects of the Huskies begin to emerge more. And I think we will, but that the overall offensive firepower of USC will soon create the separation to get the Trojans the win and cover on the road. I’ll take USC.

Loot’s Prediction to Cover the Point Spread:

I’m betting on the USC Trojans minus 2.5 points.