| USC vs. Cal: Pac-10 Showdown For The Roses |
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| Written by Benton Vale | |||||||
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Friday, 17 November 2006
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If Cal wins, the Golden Bears would head to Pasadena for the first time since the 1958 season. Bet on College Football at BetRoyal and receive 50% in sign-up bonuses!! USC comes into this week's meeting with Cal with an 8-1 record. The Trojans have the top-scoring defense in the Pac-10 (14.8) and the No. 3 scoring offense (32.0). They are allowing just 290.1 total yards per game, tops in the league. USC is extra-effective in the red zone, having scored 40 times in 45 visits. The Trojans lone loss came on Oct. 28 when Oregon State held on for a 33-31 victory in Corvallis. USC trailed by 23 points late in the third quarter, but roared back, only to fall short at the end. Find Live College Football Lines Here! Junior quarterback John David Booty ranks second in the Pac-10 with 238.0 passing yards per game and a 150.5 passer rating. He has thrown for 20 touchdowns with just six interceptions. Booty's favorite targets are senior Steve Smith (6-0, 200) and junior Dwayne Jarrett (6-5, 215), who have 87.3 and 63.4 receiving yards per game, respectively. The Trojan running game is anchored by junior tailback Chauncey Washington (74.9 yards per game) and true freshman tailback Emmanuel Moody (51.0 yards per game). Defensively, sophomore linebacker Rey Maualuga has a team-best 62 tackles while junior cornerback Terrell Thomas has 11 passes defended. The Golden Bears lead the Pac-10 in scoring (34.7), pass efficiency (146.7), passing (266.4), turnover margin (+8), sacks allowed (10), punt returns (19.4) and net punting (37.2), while ranking second in total offense (430.8). Bet on College Football at BetRoyal! Individually for the Cal, Marshawn Lynch leads the Pac-10 in rushing (109.0), all-purpose yards (145.6). and touchdowns (13, tie). Quarterback Nate Longshore is atop the league in pass efficiency (150.5), passing yards (239.3) and passing touchdowns (21). It’s too bad for Cal that this game wasn’t played a month ago when the Golden Bears were rolling and the Trojans couldn’t cover a cup of coffee. Then the Oregon State Beavers caught up with them. Now we hit mid-November and USC has rekindled its fire and the Golden Bears are struggling. USC is favored by a –6.0- point chalk at most Las Vegas sportsbooks and –5.5 offshore with a total of 55. Pete Carroll and his Trojans can smell Championship from here and are not going to let the Cal Golden Bears stand in their way.                       |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 16 November 2006 ) | |||||||
It's pretty simple: the Pac-10's top 2 teams, No. 4 USC and No. 17 California, meet in Los Angeles with a Rose Bowl berth on the line. A USC win would keep the Trojans on pace to capture at least a share of an unprecedented fifth straight league title and a guaranteed spot in their 31st Rose Bowl while staying alive in the BCS Championship Game mix.