Bodog Beat

The Stanford Cardinal knocked off one kingpin of the Pac-10 last week in Oregon, but winning at Southern Cal is a whole different animal, and the Trojans are 10.5-point favorites on Bodog's college football odds.

USC simply doesn't lose November games under Pete Caroll: it is 28-0 all-time. And the Trojans have won 47 of their past 48 home games. That one loss, however, came to Stanford in 2007 in one of college football's biggest upsets ever.

Stanford is 2-0 against ranked teams this year but just 1-3 on the road, but those three losses have been just by a combined 22 points. The Cardinal will try to play ball control with RB Toby Gerhart, who ran for a school-record 223 yards last week against the Ducks. While USC freshman QB Matt Barkley gets all the press, it's Stanford freshman Andrew Luck who leads the Pac-10 in passing efficiency.

There are three key USC injury updates to know about before placing those college football bets at Bodog: top Trojans receiver Damian Williams won't play because of an ankle injury. He leads USC with 43 receptions (more than double any other Trojan) and four touchdowns and also has returned two punts for scores. However, tight end Anthony McCoy, Barkley's third-down security blanket and the third-leading receiver on the team, will return after missing two games with an injury. Also back is fullback Stanley Havili after he missed the past two games. USC's offense needs some help, as it has been outgained in the past three games and has scored just 10 points in the last six quarters. Southern Cal is lousy on third downs, converting just 32 percent of them to rank 106th in the nation.

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