Back Cardinals To Triumph Over Trojans

Louisville vs. USC, 8:00 ET

Bowl Season is arguably the most exciting time of the College Football season. There are always a ton of games that are exciting each week, but this stretch is nothing but do-or-die football. Last night we had three solid games as we march closer and closer to the main course of the New Year's games. Tonight, we have a game between Louisville and USC, and although there are some of the biggest names missing, I think this should be an enjoyable game.

Louisville ended the season with the #15 rank in the nation, and put together a strong 10-3 campaign even with losing their last two games. They started the season with a strong 6-0 mark and punctuated that beginning with a win over Notre Dame. They then had an immediate let down against Pittsburgh in the next game losing by 17 points. Rebounding from that defeat, they won four straight games before playing Kentucky at home and losing, and playing Florida State for the ACC title. The ACC title game was one of the more controversial games in college this season. Maybe not the game, but the results. Florida State won 16-6 and were then left out of the College Football Playoffs because they don't have their starting quarterback. Tonight, they take on yet another team without their starting quarterback. The biggest difference this USC team is terrible on defense whereas Florida State was a monster. I'm interested to see how quarterback Jack Plummer attacks this defense. They can be exploited both through the air and on the ground. A bigger concern for them is that they are playing this game without their star running back, Jawhar Jordan, and their best receiver, Jamari Thrash. It might not matter who starts at running back, though since the Trojans are so bad against the run.

USC coach Lincoln Riley claims to have zero interest in taking an NFL job. Will Riley stay with the Trojans or leave with Caleb Williams? (Credit: Getty Images)

Speaking of the Trojans, Caleb Williams is out for this game. It is highly expected that he will end up being the first overall pick in the draft. Whether he is, or isn't, really doesn't matter. He will almost certainly be the first quarterback chosen in this draft. So, who is under center for USC? Miller Moss is going to take the snaps. The good news is he does have some game experience this season. Moss is 23-for-32 this season and has one touchdown on the year. According to reports, he will not be the quarterback of the future, but perhaps he will shine in this one and will change some opinions. This isn't the game that USC envisioned playing in to start the year. They came in with very high expectations but ended up losing five of their last six games and finishing the year 7-5. Williams was typically great, but as I mentioned, the defense was terrible. Now they are without Williams, how are they going to replace his production? USC isn't just missing him - they are going to miss their best running back and three different receivers.

This game could get ugly if Moss doesn't have any of the magic that Williams did. I don't think there is much of a question here, Louisville at this point is the better team. The defense has allowed 34 or more points in each of their past five games. While Louisville isn't as explosive as every team USC has played, they still have enough weapons to put up points. I'm taking Louisville to cover the -7.

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