After coming up short to Michigan in their Big Ten debut, the No. 13 USC Trojans will try again for their first win in the conference when they host Wisconsin on Saturday on CBS and Paramount+. Meanwhile, the Badgers are also aiming for their first Big Ten victory of 2024 in their first conference game of the year. Wisconsin had an early-season bye a week ago, which came at an opportune time, following a 32-point loss to Alabama. Both teams are 2-1 on the season, and USC is 6-1 all-time versus Wisconsin.
Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. ET from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The latest USC vs. Wisconsin odds have the Trojans favored by 15.5 points, per SportsLine consensus. The over/under is 51, down from opening at 53.5. Before making any Wisconsin vs. USC picks, be sure to check out the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
Saturday's game can be seen live on CBS and streamed live on Paramount+, which you can now get for a 7-day free trial. Sign up right here.
The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a profit of over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It is also coming off a profitable 13-9 season on top-rated spread picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen strong returns.
Now, the model has dialed in on USC vs. Wisconsin and just revealed its coveted picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college football odds for the spread, money line and over/under:
- Wisconsin vs. USC spread: USC -15.5
- Wisconsin vs. USC over/under: 51 points
- Wisconsin vs. USC money line: USC -690, Wisconsin +479
- Wisconsin vs. USC picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Wisconsin vs. USC streaming: Paramount+ (Get seven days free)
Why Wisconsin can cover
The Badgers have the rest and recovery advantage after having last week off, and they are 4-1 over their last five coming off a bye. While USC has a star-studded roster, Wisconsin has players on both sides of the ball whose production matches up with not only any Trojan but any player in the nation. One is receiver Will Pauling, who leads the Big Ten in receptions (93) since the start of last year and is coming off a 9-83-1 stat line against Alabama's sixth-ranked defense.
Another UW standout is defensive back Ricardo Hallman, whose seven interceptions last year led all of FBS as he was a third-team All-American. Opponents have simply stopped throwing in his direction this season, and that's played a big part in the overall improvement of the Badgers' passing defense. It is giving up nearly 50 fewer passing yards per game than in 2023, and Wisconsin has kept two of its three opponents out of the endzone thru the air. See picks at SportsLine.
Why USC can cover
Wisconsin coming off a 42-10 defeat to Alabama, which is its largest loss in a decade and doesn't inspire much confidence for this matchup. Starting QB Tyler Van Dyke tore his ACL on the opening possession of that loss, so UW is going from a QB with 28 college starts to Braedyn Locke, who has just three. Locke struggles with accuracy and has failed to eclipse a 50% completion percentage over 178 career pass attempts. He also doesn't have the luxury of a potent rushing attack to help as Wisconsin's 4.0 ypc ranks third-worst in the Big Ten.
Those offensive struggles will be compounded with facing a greatly improved USC defense. The Trojans are allowing less than half as many PPG (15.7) this year than last (34.4). They have not allowed a passing TD in each of their last two games, and their 147.7 passing ypg allowed ranks among the top 25 in the nation. Lincoln Riley-coached teams also take care of business versus lesser foes as USC is 17-1 straight-up against unranked teams under Riley. See picks at SportsLine.
How to make USC vs. Wisconsin picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 61 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Wisconsin vs. USC, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up well over $2,000 on top-rated spread picks since its inception, and find out, and don't forget to stream Wisconsin vs. USC on Paramount+.