USC Trojans vs Colorado Buffaloes Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 09/30/2023

Game Time: 12:00 pm ET, Saturday, September 30, 2023

Venue:  Folsom Field, Boulder, CO

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  USC -22, Colorado +22; Over/Under:  73.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  USC -22, Colorado +22; Over/Under:  73.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  USC -22.5, Colorado +22.5; Over/Under:  73.5 points

USC Trojans:  4-0 (2-0) (1st place, Pac-12)

Colorado Buffaloes:  3-1 (0-1) (8th place, Pac-12)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Kyle Hunter is on a HOT STREAK in the NCAAF as he is 74-33 his last 107 CFB plays! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

USC Trojans:  won their last game on the road against the Arizona State Sun Devils 42-28.

Colorado Buffaloes:  lost their last game on the road against the Oregon Ducks 42-6.

USC is entering this game with a 4-0 record overall and they have a 2-0 record in their conference games too. They are 3-0 in their home games, 1-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against Arizona State 42-28. Caleb Williams was the starting QB and he completed 20/31 passes for 322 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. MarShawn Lloyd led the team in rushing yards with 154. Brenden Rice led the receivers with 133 receiving yards on 7 receptions and 2 TDs. Solomon Byrd led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 0 assisted tackles while Solomon Byrd, Romello Height, and Tackett Curtis each led the defense in sacks with 2. Calen Bullock came away with the only interception for them in that game.

 

 

 

Colorado is entering this game with a 3-1 record overall and they have a 0-1 record in their conference games too. They are 2-0 in their home games, 1-1 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 lost their last game against Oregon 42-6. Shedeur Sanders was the starting QB and he completed 23/33 passes for 159 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 0 interceptions. Anthony Hankerson led the team in rushing yards with 31. Xavier Weaver led the receivers with 75 receiving yards on 9 receptions. Shilo Sanders led the defense in that game with 6 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Cam'Ron Silmon and Jordan Domineck each led the defense in sacks with 1. Jahquez Robinson came away with the only interception for them in that game.

The current betting odds have Colorado listed as a 22 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Colorado was embarrassed by Oregon in their last game which was also the start of their conference play. Now they are back at home and they will be looking to bounce back after that loss. They have the advantage of the altitude in this game and it is also a really early start time so they can catch USC off guard in this game. USC is 4-0 this season but they haven't looked great in their games. Their defense has given up a ton of points in their games this year and they looked terrible in their 1st road conference game last week. They barely beat a banged up ASU team by 14 points and now they are on the road again but this time they are playing a better team with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove after getting blown out last week. Colorado didn't do much against Oregon but USC doesn't have a good defense so Colorado will get their opportunities to move the ball and put up points in this home game. The best way to place a bet here is on Colorado to cover the spread in this game.

USC Colorado Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, September 30, 2023 (12:00 pm ET start time) is USC 41 Colorado 28.

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USC Trojans: 19-10 ATS after scoring 35 points or more in a win over a conference rival. 30-18 ATS off 2 consecutive wins by 10 points or more against conference rivals. 8-3 ATS after scoring 37 points or more in 4 straight games. 21-9 OVER in all games. 12-4 OVER when the total is greater than or equal to 63.

Colorado Buffaloes: 10-18 ATS in all games. 8-15 ATS as an underdog. 8-2 OVER off a road loss. 12-3 OVER after a loss by 17 or more points. 12-6 OVER after a game where they forced 1 or less turnovers.

USC Trojans:  R. Brown (WR) day-to-day - Undisclosed.

Colorado Buffaloes:  X. Weaver (WR) day-to-day - Undisclosed. M. Slusher (S) day-to-day - Undisclosed. T. Hunter (CB) Mid Oct - Undisclosed. L. Passarello (TE) Out indefinitely - Knee.

“I thought we stepped up in a tough environment there at the very end and played our best ball in the fourth quarter, which that’s what you've got to do. It certainly wasn't our cleanest performance.” - Lincoln Riley after his team’s win against ASU in their last game. 

“Good old-fashioned butt-kicking. No excuses, no nothing.” - Deion Sanders after his team’s loss against Oregon in their last game.

WR Hudson, Kyron 

WR Singer, Dorian 

WR Williams, Mario 

TE McRee, Lake 

QB Williams, Caleb 

RB Jones, Austin

WR Hunter, Travis 

WR Weaver, Xavier 

WR Horn Jr., Jimmy 

TE Harrison, Michael 

QB Sanders, Shedeur 

RB Edwards, Dylan 

Passing: C. Williams (1200)

Rushing: M. Lloyd (349)

Receiving: T. Washington (278)

Touchdowns: B. Rice (5)

Passing: S. Sanders (1410)

Rushing: D. Edwards (157)

Receiving: X. Weaver (461)

Touchdowns: D. Edwards (4)

Coaches:

USC Trojans: Lincoln Riley (2nd season)

Colorado Buffaloes: Deion Sanders (1st season)