Pac-12 Championship Game Stat Primer: Oregon Ducks vs USC Trojans

The chaotic 2020 season is wrapping up with a replacement team in the Pac-12 Championship game. Can Oregon take advantage of the second chance and pull off the upset against USC?

Betting Odds and Trends

• USC -3.5
• O/U 64.5
• The under has been hit in 4 of 5 games that USC has played in 2020
• Oregon has not been a road underdog since 2018 (in which they finished 0-2 ATS on the road)

Oregon record in Pac-12 Championship games: 3-0

• Won each time by 18+ points

USC record in Pac-12 Championship games: 1-1

• Played Stanford both times

Kedon Slovis has been sensational during his time at USC

Career at USC (17 Games)

• 71.4 completion percentage
• 5,103 passing yards
• 45 touchdowns
• Has thrown 3+ touchdowns in 8 of 17 games

USC heavily dependent on Slovis and the passing game

• 42.6 pass attempts per game (3rd in FBS)
• Drake London averages 17.1 yards per reception (5th in Pac-12)
• Amon-Ra St. Brown leads the team with 6 touchdown receptions
• 31.2 rush attempts per game (11th in Pac-12)
• 109.2 rushing yards per game (Last in Pac-12)

Oregon’s balanced running attack looks to counter

• CJ Verdell, Tyler Shough, and Travis Dye all have 45+ carries
• Dye leads the way with 336 rushing yards and averaging 7.5 yards per carry (2nd in Pac-12)
• Team has rushed for 150+ yards in 3 of 5 games

Tyler Shough has struggled in the two Oregon losses

• Completed 59.6 percent of his passes
• 4 touchdowns
• 3 turnovers
• Offense as a whole has combined for 14 points in the second half of both games

Mark Helfrich vs Clay Helton H2H

• Helfrich leads the way going 2-1 against Helton
• Each game has been a blowout, as the average winning margin is 22.3 points
• Home team won the first two meetings, until last year

Last time USC and Oregon met: 11/2/2019

• Oregon: 56-24 victory at Memorial Coliseum
• Slovis: 3 TD’s and 3 INT’s
• Justin Herbert: threw for 3 touchdowns while completing 80.8 percent of his passes

USC defense improving from last year, while Oregon is trending the opposite direction

Who do you think is coming away from Memorial Coliseum as the Pac-12 Champion? Let me know on Twitter @James_Costanz