Joel Klatt picks USC to win outright vs. LSU

No. 13 LSU and No. 23 USC will close the weekend with a matchup from Sin City on Sunday. It could be one with a lot of fireworks that Joel Klatt will be all in on watching.

Klatt made his predictions for several games, including the Top-25 one between the Tigers and Trojans, during his show on Thursday. He started by setting the stage in Las Vegas for what this game could mean for both teams and their conferences by season’s end.

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“This game might have more implications on the college football season than any game in Week One. I believe that it sets the tone for the entire narrative about number of participants in the College Football Playoff from the Big Ten or the SEC,” Klatt said. “These teams largely sit in that same pocket, whether you rank them between fourth and fifth in their respective conferences. This is a direct comparison between the two conferences.

“Whoever wins this game starts to think of those playoff implications, what they mean, and their path to the College Football Playoff. If you lose this game, you are behind the eight-ball in a big way and you’ve got to win some games that, quite frankly, on paper, it doesn’t look like you should win during the course of the regular season.”

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With that, defense may be the name of this game. Each of LSU and USC had poor defensive units last year and have since made significant changes to their coaching staffs. Whoever gets more stops or gets more pressure could then be what decides this opener.

“Which team has improved the most on defense?” Klatt thought. “Both brought in new coordinators – D’Anton Lynn at USC, Blake Baker at LSU.”

However, if it does turn into a shootout, Klatt sees another separator given what each still has on offense. While each lost significant playmakers on offense, USC didn’t lose as much in his opinion. Add in his trust in Lincoln Riley calling play over the Tigers’ new offensive coordinator in Joe Sloan and he sees the Trojans having the edge in scoring.

“The loss of Caleb Williams, as crazy as this sounds, does not impact me to the extent that losing Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas does,” said Klatt. “I just think it’s going to be a lot to overcome. Lincoln Riley’s offense is going to be just fine. I have questions about LSU’s.”

In the end, Klatt leaned toward USC because of that. He feels better about what the Trojans have, especially when considering the other factors like travel.

That’s why Klatt not only took the Trojans to cover the spread but had the moneyline with an outright win.

“LSU favored by -4.5, having to come all the way west and play in Vegas in what I think is going to be a super-charged environment and, in particular, facing a team that will be better on defense with D’Anton Lynn? I’ve got USC in this game,” said Klatt.

“LSU favored by -4.5? I like USC to win it outright – 38-35 in what could be the game of the week.”