This approach will be used against USC this weekend. Yes, it’s Hawaii, but the Cardinal moved the ball with ease, using an uptempo approach to get easy yards. To my surprise, and maybe it shouldn’t be because Taylor can coach the heck out of an offense, the Stanford offense looked good against Hawaii last week. It allows points and Riley’s teams have always struggled to stop most competent offenses. Yes, the USC offense is a major reason why the Over continually hits, but its defense also plays a big role. The Cardinal do not have enough difference makers on defense to stop the USC offense. Stanford’s defense can do neither well under first-year coach Troy Taylor. The Trojans' offense is unstoppable when playing defenses that can’t keep up with its speed and/or can’t overpower it at the line of scrimmage. The Trojans scored 56 points against San Jose State and 66 against Nevada, which is impressive considering they pulled Williams when USC hit 49 points. In the first two games of the 2023 season, USC has almost gone Over the game total by themselves. The Trojans have played 16 games with the duo of Riley and Williams, and they’ve gone Over in 13 of those games. With that said, take the Over when the Trojans take the field. Is Caleb Williams playing quarterback for a Lincoln Riley-led USC team? Yes. Is Lincoln Riley still the coach at USC? Yes. 6 USC (10:30 p.m., FOX and FOX Sports App ) PICK: Oregon (-6.5) to win by more than 6.5 points If they are not a playoff caliber team, then they either struggle to win a close game or lose this game. They are better than Tech at nearly every position. If they are going to reach their goals, they win this game by double digits. I know that as an Oregon grad, that might seem arrogant, but the Ducks have playoff aspirations. Other than "Texas Tech is playing at home," I fail to see how the Red Raiders cover this game. The Ducks are a more talented team than the Red Raiders. Oregon played more than 10 true freshman on defense and that trend will continue throughout the season. It rushed the passer and it generally played much tougher. More importantly, the defense looked much improved from last season. The Ducks' new look offensive line was outstanding and their long list of weapons on offense excelled. While it’s just Portland State, what Oregon did is exactly what top tier teams do: dominate. Oregon is coming off an 81-7 drubbing of Portland State. I understand Wyoming is a difficult venue to succeed in, but the Red Raiders did not play well. Quarterback Tyler Shough, a transfer from Oregon starting his second season with the Red Raiders, was hit way too much and the Ducks' rushing attack was nonexistent. It’s fair to point out a few drops in critical situations cost Tech some points, but the offense did not look efficient. Tech scored 20 points in 60 minutes before the two overtime periods - 10 of those points were scored on a short field after forcing Wyoming turnovers. Tech lost 35-33 in double overtime to Wyoming last week, after opening up an early 17-0 lead. The Red Raiders are going to play better this weekend when they host their first home game of the season against the Ducks. 13 Oregon at Texas Tech (7 p.m., FOX and FOX Sports App ) Joel Klatt discussed the depth of the Pac-12 conference after Week 1, saying the Pac-12 is shining through its quarterbacks. PICK: Colorado (-2.5) to win by more than 2.5 points Sims is bound to issue a few turnovers, so I like Colorado to cover. The need to score points continually to keep up with Colorado will force Nebraska’s offense to make plays that might not be there. I just do not trust Nebraska to keep pace, even though Colorado’s defense is still trying to find an identity. It’s wise to assume a bit of a pullback with film on them and a better defense in Nebraska, but the Buffs should get around 30 points. The most certain part of this game is the Buffaloes' offense and the ability of their playmakers to move the ball and score points. The Cornhuskers' defense played well against the Gophers, and it’s clear coach Matt Rhule has good personnel on that side of the ball. His best weapon right now is his legs, but Colorado is aware of this. Sims was 11-for-19 passing for 114 yards and added 91 yards on the ground. The only Nebraska touchdown came on a trick play where quarterback Jeff Sims fumbled a backward pass before scooping up the ball to heave it downfield for a touchdown.
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