The pros at FivStarPick.com are looking forward to the start of the NCAA football season and our focus tonight is on Lane Kiffin and the USC Trojans traveling across the pond to take on the Hawaii Warriors.  Las Vegas sportsbooks list USC as 21 point road favorites with a total of 54.

Dismissed just four games into his 2008 NFL campaign with the Raiders, Lane Kiffin had three months to jockey for a head-coaching job at the collegiate level. When Phil Fulmer’s got released from Tennessee, AD Mike Hamilton pulled the trigger and took a chance on Kiffin.

Kiffin brought youth, flash and excitement to the Volunteers and a package deal with recruiting guru Ed Orgeron and legendary NFL defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin.

Hamilton got the short end of that stick.  In the first few weeks, Hamilton’s brash new coach falsely accused Florida of recruiting violations, then racked up six NCAA violations himself before coaching his first game for the Volunteers.

During a 7-6 season, Kiffin tweeted positive spin about close losses to Alabama and Florida, but 14 months into his stay in Knoxville, Kiffin left for his ‘dream job’ at USC.  In his wake he left behind a slue of broken promises and an ongoing NCAA investigation.

Shortly after taking over the helm as USC’s head coach, the Tojans got hammered with the worst penalties the NCAA has dealt out since SMU in the early 80s. The Trojans can’t go to a bowl game in 2010 or 2011, and they’ve had 30 scholarships stripped away.

USC finished 2009 with a horrible 4-9 record Against The Spread, meanwhile, Hawaii went 6-6 Against The Spread.

The Trojans return five starters on each side of the ball, including sophomore quarterback Matt Barkley, who started 12 of 13 games as a true freshman. Barkley threw for 2,735 yards and 15 touchdowns, but he was intercepted 14 times.

USC’s leading rusher (RB Joe McKnight) and receiver (WR Damian Williams) are gone. Senior RB Allen Bradford will step up to take the bulk of the carries after rushing for eight TDs and averaging 5.8 yards per carry last season.

The Warriors are returing five starters on offense and seven on defense. However, a pair of starters on the offensive line will be missing Thursday night. Junior center Matagisila Lefiti is out for the first three games of the season, while junior OG Brett Leonard isn’t expected to return until early October.

Junior Bryant Moniz has been named the starting QB for the Warriors, who won four of their last five games with Moniz under center last year. The lone loss in that stretch came against a Wisconsin team that was playing extremely well down the stretch.

Moniz posted a 14/10 touchdown-to-interception ratio last year. He has his favorite target and one of the WAC’s premier wideouts back in the mix. That would be senior Greg Salas, who had 106 receptions for 1,590 yards and eight TDs in ’09. Also, senior WR Kealoha Pilares returns after hauling in 66 catches for 690 yards and four TDs last season.

Now lets talk trends…Hawaii owns a 4-4 Against The Spread record in eight home underdog situations since head coack McMackin took over for June Jones in ’08. However, the Warriors are 0-3 versus the number as double-digit home ‘dogs.  USC was 1-5 Against The Spread as a road favorite last year and has failed to cover the number in nine of its last 12 road ‘chalk’ spots.

These schools met in the 2005 season opener with the Trojans rolling to a 63-17 victory as 36-point home favorites. They have won all six meetings against the Warriors, scoring 60 points or more in their last three encounters.

This game is not an easy game to handicap, but the pros at FiveStarPick.com have broken down every stat, trend, injury report and weather forcast on this game to provide our members with a winning play.  Try FiveStarPick.com today for only ($19.99) and see if our talent for picking college and pro football winners exceeds your expectations.  We are the only sports handicapping service in the business that documents our last 30 plays, then displays them on our homepage for all to see.  It’s because we have nothing to hide…we just win games against the spread.  Join our family today and start your winning streak tonight.

Rick Riley – FiveStarPick.com

FiveStarPick.com will be giving our over 3000 members the against the spread winner of tonight’s showdown between the Trojans of USC and the Ohio State Buckeyes.  Las Vegas sportsbooks list the Trojans as 7-point road favorites with a total of 45.5.

Ohio State was a 22-point home favorite against the Midshipmen last week.  The Bucks took a 20-7 lead into halftime, but Navy came within a two-point conversion late in the game.   Luckily for OSU Brian Rolle intercepted Ricky Dobbs’s pass for a two-point conversion the other way to clinch a 31-27 victory.

Terrelle Pryor completed 14 of 21 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown and rushed six times for 30 yards and another score.  Daniel “Boom” Herron also ran for 72 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.

Ohio State’s defense knew that it was going to have its hands full with the triple-option.  The Mid-Shipmen rushed 44 times for 186 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Buckeyes are looking forward to playing USC because the Trojans run a pro style offensive attack that they are much more familiar defending.  What will be interesting is how the Trojans handle coming into the Horseshoe with a rookie under center. Matt Barkley is a true freshman quarterback running the show for Southern California this year and he’s looked good connecting on 15 of his 19 pass attempts for 233 yards and one touchdown.  Joe McKnight also shined as he compiled 145 yards and two scores on 14 carries.

Now let’s talk trends…Despite last year’s blowout, Ohio State is still 13-6 straight up and 10-8-1 against the spread in its last 19 games against Pac-10 schools.  Southern Cal has owned Big Ten programs as of late, posting a 17-8 SU and ATS mark against them recently.  The Buckeyes haven’t been listed as home ‘dogs often, just nine times since 1988. They are 3-5-1 SU and 5-4 ATS in those situations.

So who covers the spread tonight?  It’s very easy to find out.  Try FiveStarPick.com for a month ($99.99) and see if our talent for picking college and pro football winners exceeds your expectations.  We are the only sports handicapping service in the business who documents wins and losses and displays them on our homepage for all to witness.  It’s because we have nothing to hide…we just win games against the spread.  Join our family today and start your winning streak tonight.

Jimmy the Geek – FiveStarPick.com