Direct TV Holiday Bowl: Louisville vs. USC odds, picks and predictions
The Louisville Cardinals (10-3) square off against the USC Trojans (7-5) in the Direct TV Holiday Bowl on Wednesday night. Kick from Petco Park in San Diego is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (FOX). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's lines around the Louisville vs. USC odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
Lousiville ended its season on a 2-game losing streak after falling 16-6 against Florida State in the ACC Championship and failing to cover as a 1.5-point favorite. QB Jack Plummer went 14 of 36 for 111 yards and a TD. WR Jamari Thrash had 7 receptions for 57 yards while RB Jawhar Jordan carried the ball 14 times for 52 yards.
USC dropped its final 3 games on the season after falling 38-20 to UCLA and failing to cover as a 5-point home favorite. QB Caleb Williams went 31 of 42 for 384 yards with a TD and INT. WR Brenden Rice hauled in 8 receptions for 147 yards and a TD while RB MarShawn Lloyd carried the ball 8 times for 17 yards. Williams, Rice, and Lloyd will not be playing on Wednesday night.
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Louisville vs. USC odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access Paste BN Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 11:15 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Louisville -275 (bet $275 to win $100) | USC +230 (bet $100 to win $230)
- Against the spread (ATS): Louisville -7 (-110) | USC +7 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 58.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Louisville vs. USC picks and predictions
Prediction
Louisville 31, USC 17
Moneyline
PASS.
At -275 odds on a Louisville team facing a USC team without Williams, there is no value in a win.
Against the spread
BET LOUISVILLE -7 (-110).
Redshirt sophomore QB Miller Moss will be making his 1st career start for USC. With Williams, Rice, and Lloyd out for the Trojans, they will be unable to maintain a steady flow on offense and stay in this game. For the Cardinals, Plummer, a graduate senior, will be making his 39th career start giving them the edge.
Over/Under
BET UNDER 58.5 (-110).
With both sides missing starters, this game will be a shell of what it would be with both teams playing in the regular season. While they are still playing for the bragging rights and eggnog bath, do not expect a large amount of points on Wednesday. Lacking a majority of their offense, it will be difficult for the Trojans to put up enough points to hit the Over.
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