Rutgers Football Opens as 25.5 Point Underdogs vs No.12 USC

After falling 37-21 to UMass in week one and losing 28-21 to Boston College on the road in week two, Rutgers football opened as a 25.5-point underdog against No.12 USC before the line quickly moved to listing the Scarlet Knights as a 24.5-point underdog per FanDuel . The total over/under in this game is listed at 58.5 points.

This game has the potential to get very ugly very quickly for Rutgers, who has been plagued by inconsistent quarterback, offensive line, and defensive play over the past two games. In the first three weeks of the season, the Trojans trounced their weak non-conference schedule, handing blowout losses to Louisiana , Fresno State and San Diego State . Their game against the Knights will be their first taste of Power Four play this year.

In their most recent game against the Rajin Cajuns, USC quarterback Jayden Maiava threw for 261 yards and five touchdowns. Rutgers is still trying to figure out who the best quarterback on the roster is, as both Dylan Lonergan and AJ Surace threw more interceptions than touchdowns in the games they have played.

USC running back King Miller totaled 28 carries for 128 yards and one touchdown last game, while Mark Bowman was their leading receiver with 6 catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns.

Strangely enough, the Trojans' defense hasn't looked its best early on this season, surrendering 30 points to Louisiana and 26 points to San Diego State, two teams they should reasonably keep near a shutout. Both teams have quarterbacks who led them in both passing yards and rushing yards. Rutgers doesn't have a typical mobile quarterback, meaning that they won't likely be able to exploit this to get some sort of offense going.

With the recent performance of both teams, it is really hard to see Rutgers covering the spread. Had the results of the first two games been drastically different, it would have been much easier to see, but now that the season seems to be in a free fall, it just looks out of reach. USC has scored at least 39 points in their last three matchups, meaning that when their offense gets rolling, they are likely going to the game on a track meet that Rutgers' offense doesn't have the ability to keep up with, or the defense to slow down.

Rutgers will kick off against USC inside SHI Stadium on Saturday, September 19 at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on CBS.