USC Football Odds: Trojans win total O/U set for 2017

Oddsmakers at Oddshark set USC Football’s projected win total for the 2017 at 9.5, giving the Trojans strong odds to contend for the College Football Playoff.

What will USC Football’s record be in 2017?

The experts over at Oddshark set the Trojans’ over/under win total at 9.5, which is tied for the second-highest win total heading into the season behind only Alabama and Ohio State at 10.5.

USC’s total of 9.5 tied with Oklahoma, Florida State, Wisconsin, Washington and Penn State, putting the Trojans in touching distance of the College Football Playoff, in the oddsmakers’ view at least.

So how will USC end up with a record sitting somewhere between 9-3 and 10-2?

Several of USC’s opponents in 2017 also have win total odds out from Oddshark with some of the biggest challenges coming from Stanford at 8.5 and Texas, Colorado and Washington State at 7.5 wins apiece.

Meanwhile, Utah has an over/under of 6.5 wins, UCLA’s was set six and Arizona at 5.5.

Though UCLA and Utah could give USC a game, the Trojans get both at home.

Road games with Washington State and Colorado, in November, could bring the elements into play and have the look of potential upset opportunities.

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Stanford has gotten the better of the Trojans in recent history, so that September 9 match up could certainly be circled as a potential loss. The following week at the Coliseum against Texas will also offer a ton of intrigue with Tom Herman’s Longhorns.

The interesting thing about a win total projection is how perception of that record can swing in so many ways.

If USC loses three games to Stanford, Texas and Notre Dame, but still wins the South division, goes to the conference title game and wins the Pac-12 Championship, reaction to the Trojans’ season would be very different than another hypothetical involving three losses to UCLA, Colorado and Utah, while failing to win the division.

There’s also the question of whether or not a two-loss Trojan team would be a candidate for the playoff.

Jason Kirk of SBNation looked at the odds and determined that USC does indeed have better odds of being in the Top 4 come the end of the season compared to Florida State, Washington and Penn State and Wisconsin.

UPDATE: Oddsmakers for Bovada also set USC’s over/under win total at 9.5, trailing behind Washington at 10 in the Pac-12.