Nevada Wolf Pack vs USC Trojans Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/02/2023

Game Time: 6:30 pm ET, Saturday, September 2, 2023

Venue:  LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA

Where to Watch:  Pac-12 Network

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Nevada +38.5, USC -38.5; Over/Under:  66 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Nevada +38.5, USC -38.5; Over/Under:  66 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Nevada +38.5, USC -38.5; Over/Under:  66 points

Nevada Wolf Pack:  0-0 (MWC)

USC Trojans:  1-0 (0-0) (1st place, Pac-12)

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Nevada Wolf Pack:  N/A

USC Trojans:  won their last game at home against the San Jose State Spartans 56-28.

Nevada finished last season with a 2-10 record overall and they had a 0-8 record in their conference games too.  They were 1-5 in their home games, 1-5 in their road games, and they were also 0-0 in their neutral site games last season, but they will be on the road for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 18.8 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 30.9 points per game. Their offense also averaged 304 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 396.2 yards per game. Nate Cox led the team in passing yards with 1466, Toa Taua led the team in rushing yards with 911, and Brian Casteel led the team in receiving yards with 581.

 

 

 

USC is entering this game with a 1-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their conference games too.  They are 1-0 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against San Jose State 56-28. Caleb Williams was the starting QB and he completed 18/25 passes for 278 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Austin Jones led the team in rushing yards with 54 and had 2 rushing TDs for them while Miller Moss also had 1 rushing TD. Tahj Washington led the receivers with 85 receiving yards on 2 receptions while Zachariah Branch and Dorian Singer both led the receivers in receptions with 4 each. Tahj Washington, Zachariah Branch, Dorian Singer, and Brenden Rice each had 1 receiving TD. Jaylin Smith led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Solomon Byrd and Bear Alexander also led the defense in sacks with 0.5. No one on the defense came away with an interception in that game.

The current betting odds have USC listed as a 38.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Nevada was terrible last season as they finished the year with a 2-10 record overall and they were 0-8 in their conference games. Their offense was averaging under 20 points per game while their defense was allowing over 30 points per game and they haven't done much in the transfer portal to improve their team for this season either. Meanwhile, USC has been building a much better program over the last year with the Heisman Trophy winner on their side and they also have the advantage of having already played a game in week 0. They looked good in that game too as they scored 56 points on a San Jose State team that isn't bad. USC will have no problem moving the ball on offense and putting up more points in this game now that they will be facing a weaker defense. Nevada also has a much weaker offense so they will continue to struggle scoring points in this game despite the USC defense not being that great. USC did give up 28 points on defense but that will definitely be more of a focus in this game as they can't allow a team like Nevada to score that many points on them. USC has one of the best offenses in the country that will continue putting up a ton of points here while their defense tightens up a bit too from their last game. The best way to place a bet here is on USC to cover the spread in this game. 

Nevada USC Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 2, 2023 (6:30 pm ET start time) is USC 66 Nevada 17.

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Nevada Wolf Pack: 21-37 ATS when the total is between 63.5 and 70. 28-38 ATS in games played on a grass field. 8-5 OVER as an underdog. 6-3 OVER in non-conference games.

USC Trojans: 20-12 ATS in a home game where the total is greater than or equal to 63. 36-22 ATS after a playing a game where 70 total points or more were scored. 19-8 OVER in all games. 11-3 OVER when the total is greater than or equal to 63.

Nevada Wolf Pack:  None.

USC Trojans:  M. Jackson III (WR) day-to-day - Undisclosed. T. Taleni (DL) day-to-day - Undisclosed.

"For any first game, you've got to do a lot of things, but obviously this is heightened when you've got the Heisman Trophy winner (Caleb Williams) and a ranked team right off the bat. But it's no different every fall camp. These guys have got to get out here, we've got to work them into game condition. We've got to put them in adverse situations and we've got to test all the different scenarios that we can, and we've got to find out the guys that can succeed in those adverse situations and take those guys to USC with us." - Ken Wilson on his team coming into this 1st game of the college football season against USC.

“The busted coverage there on the last play before half was inexcusable. It had the makings of being a good defensive performance. But those are the mistakes you have to correct. We have to continue to grow. We are excited about where it can be, but we got a lot of work to do.” - Lincoln Riley on his team’s defense after their win against SJSU in their 1st game of the season. 

WR Campbell, Dalevon 

WR Curtis, Spencer 

WR Bell, Jamaal 

TE Latu, Keleki 

QB Lewis, Brendon 

RB Dollars, Sean 

WR Rice, Brenden 

WR Singer, Dorian 

WR Williams, Mario 

TE McRee, Lake 

QB Williams, Caleb 

RB Jones, Austin 

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Passing: C. Williams (278)

Rushing: A. Jones (54)

Receiving: T. Washington (85)

Touchdowns: A. Jones (2)

Coaches:

Nevada Wolf Pack: Ken Wilson (2nd season)

USC Trojans: Lincoln Riley (2nd season)