Oregon State Opens Week As 34-Point Underdogs To USC

After last week’s 42-7 defeat at the hands of Washington, Oregon State will take a road trip on Saturday to Los Angeles, to square off on the 14th-ranked USC Trojans in a battle of Pac-12 foes. And as expected, the Beavers open the week as heavy underdogs to the Trojans, who are currently listed as 34-point favorites, according to the Bovada-Las Vegas.

The line is similar to last week’s spread against Washington, where the Beavers were listed as 27-point underdogs to the Huskies and ended up losing the contest by 35 points. Despite USC coming off a tough 30-27 defeat on the road at Washington State, the Trojans are still considered as serious contenders in the Pac-12 South Division and a potential College Football Playoff team. On the year, USC is 4-1 with victories over Western Michigan, Stanford, Texas and California.

For Oregon State, last week’s battle with a talented Washington team brought forth more of the same for the Beavers, which was filled with lackluster defense and offensive miscues. Overall, Oregon State managed just 184 yards of total offense, which included two lost fumbles, compared to Washington’s 509 yards gained. In quarterback Darell Garretson’s first official start of the season, the senior completed 11 of his 22 passing attempts, managing just 74 yards through the air.

In order to complete the monumental task of knocking off (or even just staying with USC) on Saturday, Oregon State will have to kick-start their offense in one-way-or-another, which could severely be aided by a surprise performance from the Beavers special teams. Oregon State’s defense will also need to take a severe leap, which was destroyed by a balanced effort from Washington.

The kick-off for Saturday’s match-up is expected to take place at 1:00 PM PT and the game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.