Friday Night Lights is back for another season, and Friday night also happens to be the Pac-12 opener for the boys from the Palouse. Washington State and their terrific transfer QB Gardner Minshew will be looking to beat USC for the second straight year. The Cougars are off to a 3-0 start, outscoring their opponents, albeit a weak string of foes, by a total of 131-43. Coach Mike Leach better get the squad prepared, because this will be their hardest test of the season so far. Let’s dig into the numbers and see if we can grind out a winner to kick off Sin City Sharp’s 2018 season of picks.
Washington State vs. USC College Football Preview
Date/Time: Friday, September 21st at 10:30pm EST
TV: ESPN
College Football Betting Odds from 5Dimes
College Football Betting Favorite: USC -5
Total: 51
Washington State Cougars
The Cougars are coached by one of the most forward-thinking offensive minds in the business in Mike Leach. His air-raid attack has had great success in years past, and it put Luke Falk on the Heisman map, and sent plenty of receivers to the NFL. As previously mentioned, the Cougars beat USC last season, so we know that the Trojans won’t be overlooking this game, and the Cougars will have the full focus of the Trojans. Wash’s air-raid is let by Eastern Carolina transfer QB Gardner Minshew. Minshew is completing nearly 71% of his passes this season, an amazing number in this short season. Their ground attack is led by Junior James Williams, who already has 4 TDs on the season and has rushed for 137 yards on 32 attempts. Minshew’s favorite target is Davontavean Martin, a 6’3” Sophomore from Houma, LA. Martin has 3TDs so far on the season, and will be tested by the Trojan defense in this week’s game.
USC Trojans
True freshman JT Daniels will be starting for the Trojans this week. He’s a local product, from Irvine, CA. and a graduate of much-lauded prep school Mater Dei. He looks to fill the shoes of Sam Darnold, currently under center for the NY Jets of the NFL. Daniels isn’t off to a stellar start, throwing only 1 TD on 3 INTS and completing 57% of his passes to date. The Trojans are 1-2 on the season, playing a much harder schedule than WSU, with a win against UNLV here in Vegas, then dropping their next two to Stanford and Texas, both teams contending for top-25 positioning. On paper, USC is better than Washington State in terms of talent. The Cougars have plenty of players recruited to Pullman from southern California, so this game will be their time to shine in front of hometown friends and family.
Sin City Sharp (@SinCitySharp on Twitter) Free Pick: Washington State +5
The Cougs should be able to take advantage of a USC defense that has struggled to stop the run this season, allowing 209 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 109th in the nation. Coach Leach loves to air the ball out, and we know they’ll do plenty of that. James Williams and Max Borghi are capable enough to break through USC’s defensive front, and if they’re to win the game, the Cougs will have to get the ball on the ground and win the game in the trenches. USC will be without linebacker Porter Gustin, who will sit the first half due to a targeting call in the game last week vs. Texas. Trojans’ offensive coordinator Tee Martin has yet to find the right game plan for JT Daniels, who is far too talented to have just one TD in three games. We will back the Cougars, who have a better overall coaching staff with a team that’s been clicking so far this season, against a Trojan squad who hasn’t yet found its identity.
Pick: Cougars +5
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