Odds: Penn State a Very Early Favorite Over USC

In the wonderful land of odds, No. 7 Penn State has to get through UCLA this weekend.

But although the team isn’t thinking about USC, most of the fan base probably is.

The odds have Penn State as a massive favorite over UCLA, which is 1-3 with each loss coming by three scores or more.

The other major college football team in LA likely presents much more of a problem. No. 11 USC is 3-1– which the only one being by a field goal at No. 10 Michigan. This will be by far the most anticipated Penn State game of 2024 to this point, and one could argue the same goes for USC. So it should be no surprise that neither team is a heavy favorite.

Penn State is currently favored by 3.5 points on the road per FanDual Sportsbook, which translates to 6.5 points if you believe that the home team is given three points.

USC is by far the highest-rated opponent Penn State plays next to Ohio State. It remains to be seen whether safety KJ Winston, who Franklin said was out with a “long-term” injury, will be good to go by then. If Winston can’t play, that would make things all the more difficult for Penn State. As it stands, ESPN FPI gives Penn State a 46.8% chance to win.

If Penn State doesn’t win the Big Ten, having quality wins would help greatly in receiving an at-large bid to the expanded 12-team playoff. As of now, USC looks like a quality opponent.

The Penn State-USC spread could move depending on what happens this weekend.

Penn State must take care of UCLA. USC must to the same at Minnesota, which is 2-3 and coming off a controversial loss at Michigan.

PSU and USC are scheduled to play at 3:30 eastern time (12:30 pacific) on CBS at the Coliseum.