USC football odds: Oddsmakers project 8.5 wins in 2019

The over/under on USC football total wins in 2019 is 8.5, as projected by BetOnline.ag, with the Trojans looking for a big turnaround.

Can USC football win three more games in 2019 as they did in 2018? Oddsmakers seem to think so.

On Monday, BetOnline.ag released their college football odds for the coming season, including win totals for teams across the nation. USC’s projections opened with 8.5 wins.

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Last year, USC’s win total over/under from BetOnline was 7.5, but they clearly underperformed even that conservative mark. What may be different about 2019?

For one, the Trojans are not likely to start a true freshman quarterback this time around. An open quarterback battle this offseason means it is not clear if JT Daniels, now a sophomore, will keep his job. However, the quarterback position is less of a major concern now than it was a year ago. USC still appears likely to return a second-year starter at the position, if not a redshirt junior in Matt Fink or a redshirt sophomore in Jack Sears.

USC is also making the move to the Air Raid offense under new offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. Positivity about that change has likely made the picture around the Trojans that bit more optimistic for oddsmakers.

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Finding eight or nine wins won’t exactly be easy. The Trojans start the season with a tough six-game stretch. Home games against Fresno State and Stanford are followed by traveling to BYU, then returning home against Pac-12 South rival Utah before difficult road tests against Washington and Notre Dame. The back end of the season involves a date with the resurgent Oregon Ducks as well as a three-game stretch to end the campaign against ASU, Cal and UCLA, all teams USC lost to in 2018.

Of course, it will be up to head coach Clay Helton and company to find a way to exceed win total expectations. And bettors don’t seem to hold much confidence. The over/under for USC’s win total dropped to 7.5 after opening.

BetOnline.ag also has odds on the Trojans contending for a national championship. Those stand at 100/1, equal to the national title odds for Utah and Virginia Tech.

Some familiar teams hold much more likely odds, with Ed Orgeron’s LSU, Notre Dame, Oregon and Washington all standing on 33/1 national title odds.