College Football

2023 Holiday Bowl: How to bet Louisville-USC, pick

Published Dec. 27, 2023 2:28 p.m. ET

The unranked USC Trojans (7-5) will face the No. 15 Louisville Cardinals (10-3) in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl in San Diego on Wednesday night.

The game will be shown on FOX and the FOX Sports App.

We get insights on the game from Joel Klatt, FOX Sports college football analyst and host of the "Joel Klatt Show," and an expert pick from FOX Sports college football writer Bryan Fischer.

The game, like many bowls, will be missing key players who opted out.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the Heisman Trophy winner after the 2022 season, has opted out.

More than 20 Trojans have elected to skip the Holiday Bowl, including running back MarShawn Lloyd and receiver Brenden Rice, the son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.

"I have no idea who's going to be on the field for USC, which is wild," Klatt said. There's a lot of change happening right now. Obviously, Caleb Williams, MarShawn Lloyd and Brenden Rice are not expected to play in this one. Tahj Washington led the team in catches and yards — he may not play either, as he's declared for the draft. Both sides of the ball have been hit by a number of players entering the portal, including some guys that raised eyebrows."

No. 15 Louisville (10-3) vs. USC (7-5), 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, FOX and FOX Sports App

Point spread: Louisville -6.5 (Louisville favored to win by more than 6.5 points, otherwise USC covers)
Moneyline: Louisville -250 favorite to win (bet $10 to win $14 total); USC +201 underdog to win (bet $10 to win $30.10 total)
Total: 58.5 points scored by both teams combined

The Trojans had high hopes after starting the season 6-0 with the returning Heisman winner, but USC faltered down the stretch, losing five of their last six games.

"Again, a lot going on at USC.," Klatt said. "And this is a team that a lot of us thought, or at least a lot of people thought, had the ability, the talent level, and in particular the quarterback to go and compete at the highest end of the sport this season.

The Cardinals finished second in the ACC under first-year coach Jeff Brohm, who played quarterback for Louisville from 1990-93.

"He goes home to Louisville and boy, they struck it right away. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that he did go home," Klatt said. "And so I think it was easier for him to get that team and the players on that team on board as a first-year coach because he was going back to Louisville.

"And this is a team that in a lot of ways over-performed. I think on defense, it's easy to say that. I think that the sum is probably greater than the parts on defense for Louisville. And then they had some things work in their favor."

Redshirt sophomore Miller Moss is expected to start in Williams' place for the Trojans.

Said Klatt, "USC, I don't want to say they're a mess right now, but it's just like boy, there's a lot of moving pieces with USC. Transfers out, transfers in — what are they going to look like a year from now? Can they fix the defense? Will they be as good on offense? Is Miller Moss a guy that can compete for and win the job next year? You know, this is a great audition right there."

Fischer expects to see offensive fireworks despite the opt-outs.

"Couldn't have asked for a better matchup on FOX in what might be a game between two of the best offensive playcallers in college football — Jeff Brohm and Lincoln Riley," Fischer said.

PICK: Over 57.5 points (at time of pick) scored by both teams combined

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