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College Football Week 12 Odds, Picks & Predictions: UCLA vs. USC (2022)

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Let’s take a look at the College Football Week 12 odds, picks, and predictions for this weekend’s game: UCLA vs. USC.

And check out our other game previews and picks for Week 12 of the College Football season:

Check out Thor Nystrom’s Week 12 College Football Power Rankings >>

College Football Week 12 Odds, Picks & Predictions: UCLA vs. USC

UCLA vs. USC

USC, which has battled injuries all season, has another major one to contend with. Trojans RB Travis Dye suffered a season-ending knee injury in last Friday's win over Colorado. USC will turn to a backfield platoon of veteran Austin Jones, a Stanford transfer, and hyped true freshman Raleek Brown.

Sure, most teams have worse backfield depth situations. But here's how Jones himself reacted to the Dye injury: "He's irreplaceable." Dye ranked No. 2 in the Pac-12 with 95.3 rushing YPG entering last week.

Among USC's other injuries of note are WRs Jordan Addison, Mario Williams, and LB Eric Gentry. Addison returned in the last game but wasn't 100% and played limited snaps. Williams and Gentry have both missed multiple games apiece. Each returned to practice in a limited capacity earlier this week. Both are iffy to play.

It's difficult to envision how USC's defense will stop UCLA. The Bruins' run and pass offense both rank top-6 in success rate. USC's defense ranks outside the top 100 in those categories. UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson told reporters earlier this week that the Bruins want to hang 60 points on USC. He might not be far off.

And while UCLA's defense will struggle to keep USC's defense off schedule, the Bruins' defensive charge does have one thing going for it - it is very, very good at taking away explosive plays (No. 4 marginal explosiveness). This will force USC to be more methodical in moving the ball up the field and force more usage into the Trojans' new-look backfield configuration. The loss of Dye's reliability could come into play.

The pick: UCLA +2.5

What is Betting Against the Spread?

Betting "against the spread" refers to the act of choosing the winning team based on a numeric handicap placed on the team that oddsmakers believe is superior, rather than picking the outright winner. For example, if the Rams face the Bengals, and oddsmakers set the spread at Rams -3.5, you would need Los Angeles to win by 4 or more points in order to cash your Rams bet.

What is an Over/Under Bet?

Over/Under is a wager based on how many points you think will be scored in a specific game. Oddsmakers set the total, and bettors decide whether the final score will be higher or lower than that number. If an Over/Under is set at 44.5 points and you bet Over, you will need the combined score of both teams to be 45 points or higher to win your bet.

What is a Moneyline Bet?

A moneyline bet involves choosing which team you believe will win a specific matchup. The moneyline favorite carries a minus designation, like -130. This means that you need to wager $130 to earn a $100 profit. Conversely, the underdog carries a plus designation, like +110. This means that you win $110 in profit on a $100 bet.

Prop Bet Analyzer: View top rated props and historical prop performance by player >>

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