Over the course of the last few years, the Oregon Ducks and the USC Trojans have really played some fantastic games that have featured just a ton of points. These two teams are going to be battling for what could be a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game on both sides. National Championship dreams could be up in the air as well for both sides. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is going to be the most important game of the year in the Pac-12, and if we are lucky, it might be the first of two meetings of the season between what should be two tremendous juggernauts. This will be Pac-12 football at its finest, and it is the No. 2 game in our countdown of the Top 25 NCAA football matchups in 2012.

Oregon Ducks @ USC Trojans Picks & Info
Oregon Ducks @ USC Trojans Date: Saturday, November 3rd
Oregon Ducks @ USC Trojans Location: Los Angeles Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
Oregon Ducks @ USC Trojans Spread: USC Trojans -3.5

The Ducks only lost two games all of last season. The first came against the LSU Tigers in Dallas. The second came against the Men of Troy in a fantastic finish in November. The loss took Oregon out of the BCS National Championship picture. Sure, the team made it to the Rose Bowl, but that was a minor consolation for sure. The high octane offense for the U of O is going to be at it again this year with QB Bryan Bennett calling the shots. RB Kenjon Barner will finally get a chance to be a featured back, and we expect that he is going to account for at least 1,500 yards this year. WRs Josh Huff and De’Anthony Thomas should both be All-Pac-12 types of performers. The defense has a few big time stars amongst its eight returning starters. Granted, this isn’t a team that is thought of for its defense, but USC has to know that it could be up for quite the challenge.

Oregon Ducks vs. USC Trojans Past Games (Since 1995)
2011: USC 38 – Oregon 35
2010: Oregon 53 – USC 32
2009: Oregon 47 – USC 20
2008: USC 44 – Oregon 10
2007: Oregon 24 – USC 17
2006: USC 35 – Oregon 10
2005: USC 45 – Oregon 13
2002: USC 44 – Oregon 33
2001: Oregon 24 – USC 22
2000: Oregon 28 – USC 17
1999: Oregon 33 – USC 30
1998: Oregon 17 – USC 13
1997: USC 24 – Oregon 22

The Trojans hadn’t beaten the Ducks in two straight seasons before last year, and that has to be worrisome for a team that is used to be a National Championship contender. This is one of the biggest games of the year for a squad that has to be considered a real threat to get to the title game, but without this win, it is going to be awfully tough to get the job done. The Trojans probably won’t have all that much of a threat to beat them out for their spot in the Pac-12 title game, so at least this won’t be up for concern. Still, QB Matt Barkley might be up for a Heisman Trophy at this point, and losing this game would probably be a huge hit against him. There are a number of other offensive stars that are going to have to come to play, but the defense is going to be up for the biggest challenge. Remember that this unit has allowed 135 points over the course of the last three seasons to the Ducks, and Head Coach Lane Kiffin cannot be thrilled to say the least about that.

Oregon @ USC Free Picks^^: Oregon is going to have a great team this year, and it did go on the road and beat the Stanford Cardinal in its biggest game of last season. That being said, this just isn’t going to be the time for the Ducks to shine. The Trojans are just too good this year, and asking them to lay basically just the value of home field advantage against Oregon isn’t enough. We think that this spread will be a touchdown when this game actually kicks off, and with that being the case, we have to back the Men of Troy right now.

^^Note: These college football picks are independent of the picks of our Expert NCAA Football Handicappers. These NCAA football picks are made as of 8/12/12, though we will keep the college football matchup page updated for this clash on the week of the game.

When the Oregon @ USC odds are on the board on the week of 11/3, we will have our college football picks that you won’t want to miss!

The Ryder Cup odds are always hot and heavy when they are contested, and this year is sure to be no exception between the best golfers in the United States and the best in Europe. Don’t miss a moment of the action on the 2012 Ryder Cup schedule, as the best golfers in the world duke it out for national and international supremacy.

2012 Ryder Cup Odds & Tournament Details
2012 Ryder Cup Dates: Friday, September 28th – Sunday, September 30th, 2012
2012 Ryder Cup Location: Medinah Country Club, Medinah, IL
Defending Ryder Cup Winner: Europe
2012 Ryder Cup TV Coverage – Network: NBC, ESPN, Sky Sports, BBC

We know that the time is coming that Team USA (Ryder Cup Odds: 1.95 to 1 @ 5Dimes Sportsbook) is going to put together a heck of an outing to beat the Europeans. This year’s team captain is Davis Love III, who played on the team in 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2002, and 2004. Love has been playing better golf this year than he has in most years of late, including finishing third at the FedEx St. Jude Classic and 29th at the US Open. Love is going to have four very interesting decisions to make for who he wants to put on his team, but he knows that the first eight spots are going to be selected for him.

Odds have it, we are going to see Tiger Woods on the team one way or the other. As of June 21st, he ranks No. 7 in the Team USA standings, though there are a number of golfers right on his heels that are sure to have something to say about whether he gets an automatic bid to the team or not. The only men that really appear to be a solid bet to be on Team USA at this point are Jason Dufner, Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson, and Phil Mickelson. One would figure that the 2012 Players Championship winner, Matt Kuchar will be selected for the team whether he finishes ranked in the Top 8 or not, and we could probably say the same for Rickie Fowler, who has clearly been one of the up and coming names in American golf. One man that might get a call that is just 17 years old is Beau Hossler. Hossler finished tied for 29th at the US Open, and he is really turning heads right now without even being legal enough to drink.

List of Past Ryder Cup Winners
2010 – Europe (14.5 – 13.5)
2008 – United States (16.5 – 11.5)
2006 – Europe (18.5 – 9.5)
2004 – Europe (18.5 – 9.5)
2002 – Europe (15.5 – 12.5)
1999 – United States (14.5 – 13.5)
1997 – Europe (14.5 – 13.5)
1995 – Europe (14.5 – 13.5)
1993 – United States (15 – 13)
1991 – United States (14.5 – 13.5)
1989 – Tie (14 – 14)
1987 – Europe (15 – 13)
1985 – Europe (16.5 – 11.5)
1983 – United States (14.5 – 13.5)
1981 – United States (18.5 – 9.5)
1979 – United States (17 – 11)
1977 – United States (12.5 – 7.5)
1975 – United States (21 – 11)
1973 – United States (19 – 13)
1971 – United States (18.5 – 13.5)
1969 – Tie (16 – 16)
1967 – United States (23.5 – 8.5)
1965 – United States (19.5 – 12.5)
1963 – United States (23 – 9)
1961 – United States (14.5 – 9.5)
1959 – United States (8.5 – 3.5)
1957 – Great Britain (7.5 – 4.5)
1955 – United States (8 – 4)
1953 – United States (6.5 – 5.5)
1951 – United States (9.5 – 2.5)
1949 – United States (7 – 5)
1947 – United States (11 – 1)
1937 – United States (8 – 4)
1935 – United States (9 – 3)
1933 – Great Britain (6.5 – 5.5)
1931 – United States (9 – 3)
1929 – Great Britain (7 – 5)
1927 – United States (9.5 – 2.5)

Now, we also know that Team Europe (Odds To Win The Ryder Cup: 2.55 to 1 @ 5Dimes Sportsbook) has been running roughshod of late over the Americans in the Ryder Cup, knowing that there have been a lot of dominating performances since 1995. Jose Maria Olazabal is going to be Europe’s captain this year, making him the first Spanish team captain since Seve Ballesteros in 1997. Olazabal is the first Spanish man to be a captain of a Ryder Cup for Team Europe on American soil though, which makes this quite the interesting situation for one of the more popular golfers on the PGA Tour and the European Tour to be in.

We know that one of the top young golfers on the PGA Tour and the European Tour, Rory McIlroy is going to be here in Medinah in the fall representing Europe. Justin Rose and Paul Lawrie should be okay for sports as well, though there are several others that are going to be gunning for those few automatic spots that are up for grabs for the European team. There will be four picks Olazabal to make for his team. One of those picks could be Paul Casey, who is far, far back in the Ryder Cup Points List at this point in the year. Lee Westwood and Luke Donald both figure to be representing the Brits for England in the 2012 Ryder Cup, and the up and coming Nicolas Colsaerts could be on the Ryder Cup team as well.

Current 2012 Ryder Cup Odds @ 5Dimes (as of 6/21/12):
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Team USA (to win the Ryder Cup) 1.95 to 1
Team Europe (to win the Ryder Cup) 2.55 to 1
Tie 11 to 1

Odds to Win 2012 Ryder Cup @ Bovada Sportsbook (as of 6/21/12):
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Team USA (to win the Ryder Cup) -105
Team Europe (to win the Ryder Cup) -115

The Ohio State Buckeyes know that they aren’t going to be able to go to a bowl game or the Big Ten Championship Game this year, but they do know that they might be able to ruin the season for the Michigan Wolverines, their arch rivals. Every single year, regardless of the circumstances, the OSU/Michigan rivalry is one of the biggest to watch over the course of the entire season, and this should be no exception. Gone are the days of Lloyd Carr and Jim Tressel, and in are the days of Brady Hoke and Urban Meyer, as both of these teams try to formulate their offenses out of styles that were born outside of the Big Ten. This won’t be a smash mouth football game as it was as recently as just a half dozen years ago, but it is definitely a college football matchup that is going to be one of the best of the season and should not be missed.

Michigan Wolverines @ Ohio State Buckeyes Picks & Info
Michigan Wolverines @ Ohio State Buckeyes Date: Saturday, November 24th
Michigan Wolverines @ Ohio State Buckeyes Location: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
Michigan Wolverines @ Ohio State Buckeyes Spread: Ohio State Buckeyes -4

This is really the culmination of what amounts to be a brutal schedule for the Wolverines this year. There is a good chance that they will already have three losses and be out of the National Championship hunt, but this might be the difference as to whether they are going to end up in Detroit playing for a spot in the Rose Bowl or not. QB Denard Robinson might have a Heisman Trophy to go out and win as well. Hoke was able to win last year’s game against Ohio State, snapping a brutal run of seven straight losses to the Bucks. That’s what ultimately cost both Rich Rodriguez and the aforementioned Carr their jobs in Ann Arbor. However, if Hoke is really going to endear himself to the Big Blue nation, it would really help to win a game in Columbus, something that the Wolverines haven’t done since 2000. Last year, the defense for Michigan had one of its worst games of the year trying to slow down the Buckeyes, and with a still somewhat raw unit coming together, it could make for another struggle this time around as well.

Michigan Wolverines vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Past Games (Since 1995)
2011: Michigan 40 – Ohio State 34
2010: Ohio State 37 – Michigan 7
2009: Ohio State 21 – Michigan 10
2008: Ohio State 42 – Michigan 7
2007: Ohio State 14 – Michigan 3
2006: Ohio State 42 – Michigan 39
2005: Ohio State 25 – Michigan 21
2004: Ohio State 37 – Michigan21
2003: Michigan 35 – Ohio State 21
2002: Ohio State 14 – Michigan 9
2001: Ohio State 26 – Michigan 20
2000: Michigan 38 – Ohio State 26
1999: Michigan 24 – Ohio State 17
1998: Ohio State 31 – Michigan 16
1997: Michigan 20 – Ohio State 14
1996: Michigan 13 – Ohio State 9
1995: Michigan 31 – Ohio State 23

By now, we will definitely know if Meyer is going to be able to work his magic in Columbus with QB Braxton Miller the same way that he was able to do so with QB Tim Tebow with the Florida Gators. Miller is really built in the same type of mold Robinson is, and in the end, that might be what it takes to be able to get this team back to the top of the Big Ten quite soon. There are going to be eight senior starters and several others in reserve that are going to be playing their last game here at the Shoe against Michigan, many of which have started for two or three years for the program. Winning this game would mean absolutely everything in the world. Remember that Ohio State has a whopping 19 returning starters from a year ago, and it starts right at the top with Miller, still just sophomore at quarterback.

Michigan @ Ohio State Free Picks^^: This is the Super Bowl for the Buckeyes, knowing that they aren’t going any further with their season than right here. This is the game that will be circled on the calendar for months and months prior to this point, and we expect to see the hosts shine. Miller should be in for a big time game, as he leads the Buckeyes to victory and likely makes himself a favorite to win the 2013 Heisman Trophy at the same time. It’s a sucker’s bet to be taking the Wolverines and the four points.

^^Note: This is a college football prediction that is made as of August 2012, and it does not reflect the opinions that our expert NCAA Football handicappers will have on this game. This article by our very talented sports blog staff is for entertainment and informational purposes only. If you would like to purchase our premium college football picks for the year, please Click Here.

Our college football expert handicappers will have their Michigan @ Ohio State picks ready on Saturday, 11/24.