USC vs. Colorado Predictions, Picks & Odds Week 5: Will Trojans Put on Show?
The Colorado Buffaloes allowed 42 points in their Pac-12 opener last week, and our top USC vs. Colorado prediction based on the top college football odds and scours our best sports betting apps to find where the most value is to bet on a Trojans playmaker to find the end zone.
The undefeated USC Trojans visit Boulder to play the 3-1 Colorado Buffaloes and head coach Deion Sanders. Colorado fell out of the AP Top 25 Rankings following a 42-6 drubbing at the hands of the Oregon Ducks in their Pac-12 opener, and as a result, this week’s Trojans-Buffaloes game isn’t nearly as intriguing.
After all, USC is a three-plus touchdown favorite over the rebuilding Colorado program.
So, will Sanders and the Buffs rebound, or will Lincoln Riley and the Trojans run up the score on the Colorado defense for a second straight week?
Here is our best USC-Colorado prediction and our college football picks (odds via our best college football betting sites; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
USC vs. Colorado prediction: Week 5
Zachariah Branch anytime touchdown scorer (+145 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐
If last week's comments from Oregon head coach Dan Lanning taught us anything, it's that Pac-12 teams might be a bit more motivated during these Colorado matchups. That's the effect of Coach Prime, as his team is making waves during his first season at the helm after winning just one game in 2022.
As bettors, we can capitalize on this when there's an obvious talent mismatch, which appears to be the case on Saturday. The Trojans are aiming to win the Pac-12 and notch a CFP berth with their high-flying offense, while the Buffs are hoping to make a bowl game.
USC should score plenty of points against this weak Colorado defense, which is why the team's point total is around seven touchdowns. Our preferred betting angle is to take advantage of the anytime touchdown odds, and seven different players are getting minus odds.
Touchdowns are fluky, so we like the idea of taking a plus-money price on USC freshman receiver Zachariah Branch. Branch netted a receiving touchdown in each of USC's first two games, but he's been kept out of the end zone during the school's last two outings.
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Branch, who's essentially the college football version of Tyreek Hill, is capable of making a big play as a receiver or runner. He continues to become more involved for the Trojans' potent offense, ranking second on the team in targets with five during a Week 4 win over Arizona State. Brenden Rice, who's the son of Jerry Rice, led the team in targets against ASU and has been given -190 odds to score a touchdown in Week 5.
Let's take advantage of that price discrepancy as part of out college football predictions for Week 5, particularly given what Branch can do whenever he touches the ball. His anytime touchdown odds simply shouldn't be worse than 10 different players in this game.
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USC vs. Colorado best odds
DraftKings (+145)
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anytime TD | Anytime TD | Anytime TD | Anytime TD | Anytime TD |
| +145 | -110 | N/A | N/A | -105 |
DraftKings is the only shop among our best sportsbooks offering a plus-money price on Branch to find paydirt, which is why we're placing this bet there.
USC's defense/special teams touchdown odds are +290. Branch notching a return score wouldn't cash our bet in this case. He registered a return touchdown in Week 1.
As long as this number is +130 or better, we like the idea of betting on Branch tallying an offensive score in Week 5.
USC vs. Colorado odds
USC vs. Colorado odds analysis
USC opened as a 27.5-point favorite, but the market pushed this spread down to 21.5 pretty quickly at our best sports betting apps. The total has climbed up to 73.5 after opening two points lower, indicating we should expect plenty of offense in this matchup.
Both teams are 2-2 against the closing spread in 2022. USC is 3-1 to the Over, while Colorado has produced a 2-2 clip on its point totals.
USC vs. Colorado game info
- When: Saturday, Sept. 30, Noon ET
- Where: Folsom Field, Boulder, CO
- How to watch: FOX
- Weather: 70 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation, 6-mph winds
USC-Colorado prediction made 9/27/2023 at 3:15 p.m. ET.
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