Breaking down the new Pac-12 football odds are going to be tough this year, but even though both Colorado and Utah are going to be high flyers in this newly formed super conference, we know that the USC Trojans are the cream of the crop for the most part. SC will have its work cut out for it though when it takes on the Stanford Cardinal, a team with a legit chance of winning the National Championship.

Stanford Cardinal @ USC Trojans Picks & Info
Stanford Cardinal @ USC Trojans Date: Saturday, October 29th
Stanford Cardinal @ USC Trojans Location: Los Angeles Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
Stanford Cardinal @ USC Trojans Spread: USC Trojans +2

This is one of the two biggest games of the year for the Cardinal (the other being the game against Oregon). The truth of the matter is that this game probably won’t have many implications in terms of who is winning the Pac-12 to Stanford, because a loss to the Ducks probably kills any chance of going to the Rose Bowl unless the U of O is once again in the National Championship Game. However, this is a game where QB Andrew Luck can continue to prove once again that he is the truly elite passer in the nation. The redshirt junior threw for 3,338 yards last season and accounted for 35 total TDs against just eight picks. He could have a tough time against the USC defense, but in all likelihood, the man that probably would have been the top pick in the NFL Draft this past year could be in for another field day.

Stanford Cardinal vs. USC Trojans Past Games (Since 1995)
2010: Stanford 37 – USC 35
2009: Stanford 55 – USC 21
2008: USC 45 – Stanford 23
2007: Stanford 24 – USC 23
2006: USC 42 – Stanford 0
2005: USC 51 – Stanford 21
2004: USC 31 – Stanford 28
2003: USC 44 – Stanford 21
2002: USC 49 – Stanford 17
2001: Stanford 21 – USC 16
2000: Stanford 32 -USC 30
1999: Stanford 35 – USC 31
1998: USC 34 – Stanford 9
1997: USC 45 – Stanford 21
1996: Stanford 24 – USC 20

This is one of those games where the Men of Troy can man up and come up big even though there is no hope of going to the Rose Bowl or winning the Pac-12 due to their probation from the Reggie Bush incident. USC still has a ton of talent offensively, and many forget just how good QB Matt Barkley really was a season ago. Also a junior like Luck, Barkley is trying to prove that he is a worthy first round NFL Draft choice next season. He threw for 390 yards and three scores against Stanford down on the farm last season, and accounted for 2,791 yards and 26 scores on the campaign. There’s going to be a question about the Trojans’ rushing game and their defense, neither of which played well in this fixture last year, and if that doesn’t improve, it could be the third straight season in which the Cardinal came into LA and stunned the Trojan faithful.

Stanford Cardinal @ USC Trojans @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 7/22/11):
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Stanford Cardinal (-2) @ USC Trojans