Game Predictions: USC vs. Syracuse

Kelvin Kuo-US PRESSWIRE

Saturday afternoon the USC Trojans travel to New Jersey for the first time since 2000, taking on the Syracuse Orange at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands. Here’s how we see it all going down:

Trenise Ferreira: USC wins 38-10The Trojans bring to MetLife Stadium all of the momentum they had after beating Hawaii, and Syracuse won’t be able to slow them down. Nassib will put on a show, but the Trojan defense will continue to prove its worth and will not allow him to put up 400 plus yards in back to back weeks. The Trojan running game will have it’s debut, causing trouble for the Orange as they try to contain all of USC’s offensive weapons. In the end, the Trojans will emerge the victors.

Michael Castillo: USC wins 55-24Ryan Nassib could be the best pocket quarterback the Trojans face all year, and with the ability to find his tight ends and receivers in space, he’ll move the ball on USC and give the secondary all they can handle, as a great early season test. But, despite the notion that Syracuse could score some points tomorrow, where the Orange lack security is on defense. While Northwestern put up 42 points on the Orange, it’s somewhat misleading, considering that the Wildcats scored on an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown, as well as a 33-yard fumble return. But Syracuse’s inability to stop Northwestern last week when the game was on the line, plus their poor punt coverage(in addition to the touchdown, they also have up a 52-yard return) has got to have Matt Barkley and Marqise Lee licking their chops. The Trojans will score plenty, and at some point, Syracuse will stopping answering, even though look for Nassib to be solid and take advantage of injuries on USC’s defense.

Charles Gilmore: USC wins 49-9Hopefully, the Trojans leave early enough to adjust to the eastern time zone. The trip back east is known to be brutal for west coast teams, even those in the professional ranks. Aside from that, which could mean a bit of a slow start, I see the Trojans really destroying this team. The speed, quickness, and overall athleticism that the Trojans have should be too overwhelming for Syracuse. I would like to see the Trojans establish a physical ground game accompanied by their lethal passing attack. Final score 42-9 Trojans.

Alicia de Artola: USC wins 49-24Last week I made the mistake of underestimating the Trojans. This week I won’t be making the same mistake. Syracuse is a better team than Hawaii and this game is on the road, so there is reason to lower expectations a bit. However, history tells us that USC performs well in early-season out-of-conference road games and present form tells us that this Trojan team is loaded and motivated. The Syracuse offense can put up points, but Barkley, Woods and Lee are just too good to be outpaced, especially when Trojan defense will be strengthened by having Lamar Dawson and Torin Harris back from injury. Some of the rust from the opener should be shaken off (Marquise Lee will not drop passes like that again) and it should be noted that Silas Redd will have the added motivation to perform with a cheering section of family attending his second game as a Trojan. Plus, with AP voters dropping USC from the top spot in the polls, there’s plenty for this team to fight for.