Posted on 8/22/2007 6:13:36 PM

NCAA Football Betting 2007 – USC Trojans Preview

By Tim Furious

It only took one season for Pete Carroll and the Trojans to return to the top of the mountain in college football. After a landslide vote for the Associated Press Rankings, the USC Trojans walked away with 62 of the 65 first-place votes. In five seasons, USC has gone 59-6 and brought home two national championships.

Last season was marred by a stunning13-9 loss to the UCLA Bruins in the final week of the regular season that cost the Trojans a trip to the National Title game. They took out their frustrations by slaying the Michigan Wolverines in the Rose Bowl with a final score of 32-18.

Quarterback John David Booty returns to steer the USC program back to the prominence it is more accustomed to. He will be flanked by senior Chauncey Washington, who remains the leading candidate to take the starting tailback position. With Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett making their money in the NFL these days, Booty’s only familiar target will be his tight-end Fred Davis.

USC will benefit from a schedule filled with opponents from the Pac-10. They were able to go 11-2 last year, but that included the aforementioned and unexpected loss to UCLA. They were unsteady to the betting faithful by going a mere 7-6 ATS on the year. Their 5-8 OU record was also discouraging.

This year should be different. Booty is a fifth-year quarterback who, for all intents and purposes, will find himself in the hunt for the Heisman Trophy. His offensive control will be much firmer. As one of the best recruiting schools in the country, USC will be stocked with talent at receiver to replace Smith and Jarrett.

Do not be surprised if the defense steals the team spotlight for once. Safety Taylor Mays and linebacker Rey Mualaga are hard-nosed generals on the field, who will make life a living hell for anyone trying to run the rock. The defense is predicated on speed, and will be riding a wave of confidence after grinding the Wolverines vaunted offense to a halt in last year’s Rose Bowl.

The team’s schedule will be highlighted by visits to Nebraska, Notre Dame and a grudge match against UCLA in the final week of the season. Nebraska, ranked 20th this season, showed flashes last year while going 9-5 and were a strong 5-1 ATS at home. The Notre Dame game will be interesting considering the recent history of these arch-rivals, but the Fighting Irish don’t have much bite in them this year. The grudge match against UCLA will take place in the Coliseum, giving the Trojans a distinct advantage against the in-state rival Bruins.

USC was one unfortunate hiccup away from the National Title game last year. This year, they will have the narrowed focused of a national championship in their scope. The only possible flaw might be their difficulty of schedule, but USC looks to be on their way to the National Title game for the second time in three years. Look for these +150 favorites to win the BCS National Championship this year, though they may remain unfriendly ATS.

With NCAA football just around the corner, the BetUS sportsbook already has tons of college football Futures betting available for those of us who can't wait. Bet on the Heisman winner, Conference and Divisional winners and, of course, the 2008 BCS National Championship winner. Bet NCAA Football Futures in our sportsbook today in the Future / props section!