This season No. 10 USC football has picked up right where it left off the previous season, heading 6-0 into its biggest game this season against No. 21 Notre Dame.
This game is one of the season’s tough tests for USC as they open up as an underdog to the fighting Irish with a spread of +2.5.
As sports betting grows across the United States, the industry is constantly adding more users. ESPN produced an article overlooking the rise of the Colorado football team and Coach Prime’s impact on the betting market. Colorado’s Week 1 game against Nebraska fetched a higher amount of money on the game than any of the Week 1 NFL games.
You can expect the Notre Dame vs. USC contest this weekend to fetch a high amount of bets. For USC to cover the spread of +3, the favored team, Notre Dame, must either lose or win by two points or less. For Notre Dame to cover, they need to win by three or more points.
Ben Fawkes, a longtime journalist in the sports betting industry, reported that as of August 2023, New York is leading the way in bets with $1.12 billion, with New Jersey second at $725.8 million and Nevada at $431 million.
USC did not cover the spread as a 21-point favorite against the University of Arizona Saturday, winning 43-41 in 3OT. In Weeks 2 and 3 of the college football season, USC did cover their games, beating Stanford and Nevada by substantial margins.
The bookies are companies like DraftKings or BetMGM that set the score margins and take money from gamblers, placing it on the games of their choosing.
In all of their first six games, USC was a consensus favorite, being favored by 20 points or more in each game. However, the team has not fared well for the betting market, going 2-4 against the spread to start the season.
Dylan Long, an avid sports bettor and member of the Headed into Overtime Podcast, said that he feels this is a game Vegas wants to be one-sided in terms of the betting.
“They can get around 70-80% of the public on USC and then Notre Dame cleans up for the casinos. That’s why they got all the money in Vegas, spots like this where they can get the public all on one side,” said Long.
Fawkes stays away from the public eye of sports betting.
“It’s something I enjoy doing kind of on a very small scale. Just because I’ve been in the industry for so long, I know how difficult it is,” said Fawkes.
Many USC students themselves find this to be a tricky line set by the sportsbooks and don’t want to bet on the game.
“I wouldn’t bet at all because I’ve lost money betting on USC before, and I also just wouldn’t feel good about betting on Notre Dame. That just doesn’t feel right,” said USC senior Ryan Johnsen.
Johnsen went on to say if he had to pick a side he would go with USC, expecting a big game from Caleb Williams.
“If I could bet on player props I would definitely bet on Caleb, I think Caleb is going to put on an absolute show.”
Sophomore Reed Rodman felt a conflict of interest as a student at USC.
“If the line was even and I was simply a betting man, not a USC fan, I would take Notre Dame. Just because they do better against ranked teams,” said Rodman.
“Obviously you don’t want to go against a potential double Heisman candidate like Caleb Williams, but you know with their defense, we haven’t really seen Caleb Williams against a high-level defense like this. So yeah, that’s why I would take Notre Dame.”
When it comes to sports betting, it is important to understand the overall stakes are against you, and it proves difficult to beat the book, said Colby Olson, a regular contributor on the Not Gambling Advice Podcast.
“It’s best to treat sports gambling like putting money into the stock market. You can’t put all of your eggs in one basket and succeed,” said Olson.