Aug 30, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley watches from the sidelines against the Missouri State Bears in the first half at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC Trojans New Betting Odds vs. Georgia Southern Speak Volumes About Lincoln Riley

Originally posted on USC Trojans on SI
By Gabriel Duarte | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 12:48 PM ET

The USC Trojans had a big win in their season-opener vs. Missouri State this past weekend, defeating the Bears 73-13. USC will remain at home for their week two matchup vs. the Georgia Southern Eagles on Saturday.

Coming into town this weekend is former USC coach Clay Helton, who is currently leading the Eagles' program following his departure from Los Angeles in 2021. However, it's looking like anything but a friendly homecoming for the ex-USC coach. The Trojans opened up as a 24.5-point favorite according to Draftking Sportsbook, but has since seen the line rise even higher.

Trojans' Odds Soaring

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The USC Trojans are now -28.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook against Georgia Southern. It's a big line, but the Trojans closed as -36.5 favorites vs. Missouri State last week according to ESPN BET. USC was able to cover the spread with their 60-point win.

Keys To Covering

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USC's younger pieces must be able to keep their foot on the pedal. In their week one win, the Trojans' second and third stringers were able to significantly contribute to the massive win. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava only played one half and the Trojans still won by over 50 points. There must be a similar effort from the depth pieces to have another blowout win.

The Trojans had only one turnover and five penalties vs. Missouri State. If they are able to stay ahead of the chains on offense and keep their drives rolling, they should be in a good spot to come up with another productive game.

Predictions For USC vs. Georgia Southern

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In the win vs. Missouri State, USC coach Lincoln Riley praised his squad for being as disciplined as they were for a season-opening game.

“I thought the guys handled game one well. It was good to see the group play complimentary football. We dominated in a lot of the big play categories on both sides of the football,” Riley said. “Played a pretty disciplined game, a pretty clean game. I thought we tackled pretty well.”

After seeing how they performed from their win vs. Missouri State, the Trojans will undoubtedly win the game barring a complete catastorphe in every phase of the game. Even ESPN's Matchup Predictor heavily favors USC, giving the Trojans a 98.1 percent chance of winning the game.

If the Trojans are able to continue being disciplined and play mistake-free football, they should be able to cover the spread vs. the Eagles. USC's backups are more than capable of executing the team's gameplan as shown in their win vs. Missouri State.

USC should roll into Purdue on Sept. 13 with a 2-0 record and plenty of momentum.