Cotton Bowl Odds and Picks – USC vs Tulane Prediction

• 10th ranked USC is giving 2 points in the USC vs Tulane odds ahead of Monday’s Cotton Bowl
• The Green Wave was 11-2 ATS this season, covering in six of seven games vs teams with winning records
• Check out the USC vs Tulane odds below, plus opt out news and a betting prediction

Bowl Season rolls on Monday with the final four matchups before the College Football Playoff National Championship.

The second contest of the day features #10 USC (11-2) and #16 Tulane (11-2) in the Cotton Bowl, in what should be a competitive, high scoring affair.

Online sportsbooks are slightly more bullish on the Trojans, as they’ve listed Caleb Williams and Co. as the small chalk in the college football odds.

USC vs Tulane Odds

Odds as of December 31 at DraftKings. Get the DraftKings Sportsbook promo code to bet on the Cotton Bowl matchup.

USC is currently favored by 2 points, down half a point from the opening line. Money has been pouring in on the Trojans for quite some time, so it’s notable that oddsmakers have not moved the line in their favor. As of Saturday afternoon, 82% of the spread wagers are backing USC, as is 73% of the handle.

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Total wise, the game opened at 63 and that’s where the line remains. 64% of the over/under bets are currently on over 63, as is 83% of the handle.

The Cotton Bowl is set to kickoff at 1 pm ET inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with ESPN providing the broadcast coverage.

USC Trojans Betting Analysis

The biggest storyline heading into the Cotton Bowl is the health of Williams. This year’s Heisman Trophy winner suffered a hamstring injury in the Pac-12 Championship Game, and while he played through the pain, it clearly slowed him down.

Williams will be on the field on Monday, but reports suggest he’s not 100%. The Trojans were an offensive juggernaut in 2022, averaging 41.1 points per game and 500 total yards. Williams threw for over 4,000 yards and 37 TDs, while rushing for an additional 10 scores.

I asked #USC QB Caleb Williams if he'd have to hold himself back from scrambling coming off the hamstring injury.

"I'm going to be smart, but hold myself back? I don't really like to hold myself back from anything. I'll be smart about it, try not to do anything crazy — maybe." pic.twitter.com/XsJ26VOL7t

— Ryan Young (@RyanYoungRivals) December 30, 2022

USC boasts a staple of quality playmakers, but will be down its top receiver against Tulane. Jordan Addison won’t play as he’s electing to rehab his injured ankle instead. Addison accounted for 875 receiving yards and 8 TD this season, averaging 14.8 yards per reception.

Defensively, the Trojans can be had as Utah proved in the conference championship game. The Utes put up 47 points and 533 yards in that contest, averaging 6.7 yards per play. USC ranked 94th in yards allowed this season, but routinely bailed themselves out by forcing turnovers. They averaged 2.1 takeaways per game, but when those don’t happen they are in trouble.

Tulane Green Wave Betting Analysis

That could be the case on Monday as the Green Wave averaged the 24th fewest giveaways per game. Tulane ranked 22nd in scoring offense and 35th in total yards. The Green Wave were a top-20 rushing unit and feature one of the nation’s best backs.

That would be Tyjae Spears who scored 17 times in 2022. The fourth-year RB rushed for at least 100 yards in each of his final seven games, putting up 380 rushing and three scores combined over the regular season finale and the AAC title game.

TYJAE SPEARS ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? pic.twitter.com/5tD31GdI0y

— Boot Krewe Media (@BootKreweMedia) December 3, 2022

Tulane isn’t a one-trick pony, however, as Michael Pratt can dice up opposing secondaries. The junior QB threw for 25 TD this season and 2,776 yards, completing 64% of his passes. He boasted an 11-to-1 TD-to-INT rate over his final four games, three of which came against ranked opposition.

On the other side of the ball, the Green Wave boast a stout defense, but they haven’t played any team as explosive as USC. Tulane finished 27th in scoring defense but did surrender 31+ points to USF and UCF, two programs that are nowhere near as potent as the Trojans.

USC vs Tulane Prediction

The Green Wave closed the year with eight wins in their final nine games en route to a conference championship. They faced seven teams with a winning record in 2022, beating six of them both straight up and against the spread.

In fact, Tulane was an absolute cover machine this year. They were 11-2 ATS, the best FBS mark entering bowl season. USC on the other hand, was just 5-5 against the spread over its final 10 games, losing to two of the four ranked teams they faced.

College Football Top ATS Teams

The over in Trojans games, on the other hand, has been a cash cow. USC was 10-3 to the over in 2022, the second highest over percentage among FBS programs. The over hit in all four of their games versus ranked opponents, and this one profiles as a high-scoring affair as well.

With Williams under center and Lincoln Riley calling plays, the Trojans can put up points on anyone. The Green Wave don’t profile as an offensive powerhouse, but the Pratt-Spears combination is one of the better QB-RB duo’s in the nation, and the USC defense is vulnerable.

Picks: Tulane Green Wave +2 (-110), Over 63 (-110)