Louisville Cardinals vs USC Trojans Prediction, 12/27/2023 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Louisville Cardinals vs USC Trojans

Date: Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Location: Petco Park in San Diego, CA

TV: FOX

Odds/Point Spread: Trojans (+6)

Total/Over-Under: 57.5

The USC Trojans (7-5) will take on the Louisville Cardinals (10-3) at Petco Park on Wednesday, December 27, 2023 in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl. Louisville opens this matchup as 6-point favorites. The betting total is set at 57.5.

The Louisville Cardinals come into this game with a record of 10-3 for this season. The last time they stepped onto the field, the Cardinals played the Florida State Seminoles and took a loss by a score of 16-6. Jack Plummer went 14/36 with 111 yards through the air. He had a quarterback rate of 59.2 and ended the contest with 1 interception. Jawhar Jordan was the leader on the ground for the Cardinals with 14 totes for 52 yards (3.7 yards per attempt). The Louisville Cardinals ended up running the ball 34 times and compiled 77 yds, which came out to an average of 2.3 yards per tote. When the final whistle blew, they had 70 plays which converted into 188 yards. Louisville gave up 8 pass completions on 21 tries for a total of 55 yds, and a completion rate of 38.1%. In the running game, the Cardinals gave up 164 yds on 44 tries, which averages out to 3.7 yards per rush allowed.

The Cardinals have earned 5,451 yards in total for the year. When it comes to getting in the endzone, Louisville has amassed 22 touchdowns through the air and 27 rushing touchdowns. They have surrendered the ball 17 times. Louisville has a total of 270 first downs as a team, and they have been hurt by 74 penalties for 637 yards. As a team they have an average of 175.3 yards on the ground which ranks them 47th in D-1. When it comes to scoring points, the Louisville Cardinals hold an average of 30.9 points per outing.

When it comes to passing yardage, the Cardinals have given up 2,670 yards which has them ranked 61st in college football. They have given up 205.4 yards per contest through the air as well as allowing a completion percentage of 54.2%. During this campaign, they are surrendering 307.3 yards per outing ranking them 16th in college football. They have surrendered 16 touchdowns via the pass and 13 touchdowns running the ball. They are allowing teams to run for an average of 3.3 yards per rush and 101.9 rushing yards per contest so far this year. During the season, they have given up 1,325 yards via the ground game in 13 games. The Cardinals rank 21st in D-1 when it comes to their opponents scoring, giving up 19.7 PPG.

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The Trojans come into this matchup with a record of 7-5 this season. The last time they took the field, the Trojans took a defeat with a final score of 38-20 against the UCLA Bruins. Caleb Williams (1 touchdown) finished the contest with 384 yards on 31/42 passing while his QB rating was 153.7. He had 1 interception and his Y/A was 9.1. Marshawn Lloyd carried the ball 8 times for 17 yards, ending the contest with 2.1 yds per carry for USC. USC ran the ball for 0.1 yds per carry, finishing with a total of 3 yards on 22 carries. The Trojans finished with a total of 387 yds while running 66 plays (5.9 yds per play). The Trojans passing defense gave up a completion percentage of 58.1%, relinquishing 155 yds on 18 for 31 through the air. USC allowed 45 rush attempts for 199 yds (4.4 yds per rush).

Regarding the points being put on the board, the Trojans rank 4th in D-1 with an average of 41.8 points per outing. The USC Trojans maintain an average of 469.7 yards per contest, which has them ranked 11th in college football. The USC offense has racked up 857 yds of penalties on 95 violations, which has them ranked 6th in Division 1 in terms of hurting your team. They have thrown 5 interceptions while surrendering 11 fumbles and they have been able to earn 275 1st downs. For the year thus far, the Trojans have a total of 3,958 passing yards as well as an average of 329.8 passing yards per outing, which has them ranked 5th in college football. They maintain an average of 139.9 yards per game on the ground and have run for 1,679 yards overall.

USC has given up a total of 2,204 yards via the ground game (183.7 yards/game) as well as 22 touchdowns on the ground this year. They have yielded 31 touchdowns via the pass and 255.2 yards/outing, which has them sitting 117th in D-1. Their defense has compiled 7 fumbles and 7 picks on the campaign. The Trojans defense has taken the field for 853 plays, ranking them 103rd in the country. The Trojans are giving up 34.9 PPG, ranking them 125th in D-1. This season, they have conceded 419 pts.

Who will win tonight's Cardinals/Trojans college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Trojans +6

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