Washington State Cougars (1-2) vs. USC Trojans (2-1)
Saturday, September 26, 7:15 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: USC -45.0

Sam’s Take (20 – 7):

Will USC start its annual post-upset win streak this week against WSU? In a word, yes. This game should be over in a hurry, but more importantly, we will find out how healthy Matt Barkley is because his arm strength is still a question mark.

The Trojans will use this game to regain their confidence before the trip to Berkeley, and I expect ball security to be much better for SC on Saturday.

Wazzu had a special moment last week, but the fun will surely end in L.A. for the Cougs. As long as Paul Wulff’s club shows continued progress in this game, it will be a win for the program. Losing RB James Montgomery for the year was devastating, so the resiliency of the offense must shine through this week.

The Trojans will roll in this one before trying to conquer the meat of their schedule. I foresee an effort similar to the San Jose State game, and I believe Barkley will make a solid return.

Prediction: USC 52 – Washington State 10

Washington State Player to Keep an Eye On: LB Alex Hoffman-Ellis - He played a tremendous game last week and should be a fun player to watch grow throughout the season.

USC Player to Keep an Eye On: WR David Ausberry - Ausberry must assert himself as a reliable #2 behind Damian Williams before SC embarks on the tough road trips.

Dave’s Take (20 – 7):

The USC Trojans have managed an average of only 15.5 points on offense over their last two games and have been held under 20 points in both of them. This trend will not continue.

For the Trojans, it is the familiar spot of re-grouping and trying to salvage the season after a loss to an un-ranked team. With all due respect to the Cougars, though, it won’t take anything close to the Trojans best effort for them to come out on top here.

USC gets back Taylor Mays and Matt Barkley for this one, but the damage from their absence has already been done. The final score to this one will be decided by the Trojans; do they want to take out their frustrations from last week on the Cougs, or are they looking ahead to the big showdown against Cal next week?

Either way, it would take a miracle for Washington State to make a game of this. For the Cougars, the goal should be limiting turnovers and just playing a smart football game. Washington State also wants to make sure not to lose its emotional high and confidence from last week moving forward no matter how ugly this one gets.

Prediction: USC 52 – Washington State 3