SCliff Notes: Vegas Odds Favor Trojans in Holiday Bowl and More USC Football News

Can’t get enough USC football? We’ve got your morning dose of all the best content from around the web concerning the men of Troy.

1st & 10:

Vegas Holiday Odds… Las Vegas sports bets opened the line for the Holiday Bowl with the USC Trojans favored by six over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, according to VegasInsider.com’s VI consensus.

The line officially opened at noon on Monday and shifted down to four points initially before making the way back up to six. An over/under of 62 was also established.

Considering the evenly matched nature of the two teams — the Trojans and Cornhuskers are ranked No. 24 and No. 25 respectively in the AP Top 25 — there are a few factors are in play for the touchdown-wide gap.

For one, the Trojans are essentially a home team, though it is Nebraska, not USC, which has more experience in the San Diego Bowl. Nevertheless, the men of Troy can expect a friendly crowd, even if the Cornhuskers are known for a strong traveling fanbase.

That the teams finished the regular season on sorely different likely plays an even bigger role. Nebraska lost two of the last three and promptly fired head coach Bo Pelini, much to the chagrin of the players who were vocally upset on social media. USC on the other hand blew out Notre Dame to end their regular season on a high note despite the rough season.

In Other News…

• The Holiday Bowl swag package may lack a Helen of Troy hair dryer, but the Trojans are going to make out pretty well with a sizable Best Buy shopping spree. (Reign Of Troy)
• Ben Kercheval took a stab at predicting every bowl game this season. His pick for the Holiday Bowl? Trojans. (Bleacher Report)
• Ted Miller stacked up all the Pac-12 bowl games with initial thoughts on each. His concern for USC: Mike Riley upset juju. (ESPN)
• Last week, Kyle Kensing argued that the emergence of the hurry-up offense against Notre Dame was worth the wait. Seems relevant even today as USC preps for Nebraska. (Bleacher Report)
• Though they’ve never played in the Holiday Bowl, the Trojans have plenty of connections to San Diego, as relayed by Greg Katz. (ESPN)
• Hayes Pullard has accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl. (Inside USC)
• Ready for recruiting season? The staff at Bleacher Report has a round up of all the latest commits and rumors. (Bleacher Report)
• Over at ESPN, Johnny Curren also has some news and notes on the recruiting trail, including a look at USC recruits and their stats from this weekend. (ESPN)
• Which college football team is the best at producing NFL talent? Jeff Bell asked and answered the question and, surprise, surprise, USC tops the list. (Bleacher Report)
• For a peek into the minds of the enemy camp, here’s a look at Nebraska fans reactions to the Holiday Bowl berth. (KETV)

Stat of the Day:

Steve Sarkisian has been a head coach for three bowl games in his career. He lost two and won one. The one? A 19-7 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Tweet of the Day: