Week 2 - USC at Syracuse

Week 2 CFN Fearless Prediction and Breakdown - USC at Syracuse

USC (1-0) at Syracuse (0-1) Sept. 8, 3:30, ABC

Here’s The Deal: Matt Barkley will take his first of what could be two trips to the New York metropolitan area as his Trojans visit Syracuse at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Troy delivered a predictable start to its 2012 campaign, easily disposing of Hawaii and former assistant Norm Chow, 49-10. The Trojans will be making a rare trip to the East Coast, an opportunity to spread its brand to potential recruits in a different quadrant of the map. The Orange came out on the losing end of a see-saw battle with Northwestern in the Carrier Dome, succumbing in the final minute, 42-41. Beyond just fixing the obvious problems on defense, the staff will need to make that its players have their head on straight following an emotional loss. If Syracuse still has its mind on last week, it’ll get run out of the stadium in the first 15 minutes.

Why USC Might Win: The Trojans are going to move the ball on everyone this fall. Syracuse sure doesn’t look as if it’ll be an exception. The Orange was toothless in the opener, eventually falling to the passing of a backup quarterback, Northwestern’s Trevor Siemian. Troy harbors an embarrassment of riches on offense that begins with Barkley and continues with receivers Marqise Lee and Robert Woods, and backs Silas Redd and Curtis McNeal. Without much of a threat from the Syracuse pass rush, Barkley will spend much of the afternoon padding his Heisman resume.

Why Syracuse Might Win: If you can’t score, you won’t have much of a chance of upsetting USC this year. Fortunately for the Orange, its offense is already operating as if its midseason. As expected, the ground game was quiet, but QB Ryan Nassib more than picked up the slack by going 44-of-65 for 470 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. Eight different receivers caught at least three balls, led by the triumphant return from suspension of WR Marcus Sales. If Alec Lemon can make it back from an injury, Syracuse is capable of causing problems through the air for the Trojans defensive backfield.

What To Watch Out For: This is one of those games that Syracuse really, really wishes it had the services of injured LT Justin Pugh, by far the team’s best blocker. It won’t, which means USC has an even better chance of building on last Saturday’s performance along the D-line. Arguably the biggest question mark on an otherwise stacked starting lineup, the Trojans generated a dozen tackles for loss and five sacks versus Hawaii. Maintaining that level of pressure, and flushing heavy-legged Nassib out of the pocket will be top priorities for coordinator Monte Kiffin.

What Will Happen: Syracuse left a lot of its fight and emotion on the Carrier Dome carpet last Saturday, which is not the way a team wants to head into a game with USC. The Trojans are markedly more talented than the Orange in all facets of the game, but particularly when Barkley is under center. He’ll deliver another monster effort through the air, connecting with Lee and Woods on touchdowns. Nassib will go up top at least 50 times, which will also lead to a number of costly turnovers that help put the game out of reach.

CFN Prediction: USC 49 … Syracuse 17
ATS Consultants Line (Click for more lines and picks) USC -27 O/U: 58
Must Watch Rating (5 – Phineas & Ferb, 1 – Steve Harvey): 2.5