The college football playoff race is heating up and week 13 of the 2014 college football season is upon us. Here are some of the marquee matchups and the lines for the upcoming weekend of action, courtesy of JustBet Sportsbook. All NCAA football bettors and sports fans will get their fill of quality action this weekend as there are quite a few interesting matchups on tap in the SEC, and PAC-12, and Big Ten conferences. All times Eastern.

Thursday, November 20

No. 12 Kansas State at West Virginia (-2, 57.5) 7:00 PM FOX Sports 1

The #12 ranked Kansas State Wildcats will travel to Morgantown to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers. Kansas State is coming off their bye week and before that had lost to TCU pretty much eliminating them from the playoff picture. West Virginia is also off the bye week and coming off a loss at Texas.

North Carolina at No. 21 Duke (-6, 66.5) 7:30 PM ESPN

The Duke Blue Devils are coming off an upset loss to Virginia Tech, they’ll try to rebound when they take on the North Carolina Tar Heels, who are coming off a 40–35 when over Pitt.

Saturday, November 22

Indiana at No. 6 Ohio State (-34, 65.5) 12:00 PM Big Ten Network

The #6 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will look to make a statement and try to get themselves into the college football playoff picture when they host the Indiana Hoosiers, who were blown out at Rutgers 45-23.

Boston College at No. 3 Florida State (-19, 65.5) 3:30 PM ABC

The #3 ranked Florida State Seminoles are coming off a come from behind win over Miami. They’ll have to be on upset alert when they host the Boston College Eagles, who upset USC earlier this season and are fully capable of pulling the stunner.

No. 8 Ole Miss (-3, 45.5) at Arkansas 3:30 PM CBS

The Arkansas Razorbacks finally got their SEC win for head coach Brent Bielema, defeating LSU 17–0 last Saturday. They’ll look to make it to in a row when they host the #8 ranked Ole Miss Rebels.

No. 15 Arizona at No. 17 Utah 3:30 PM ESPN

To PAC-12 teams with contrasting styles will take the field in Salt Lake City, Utah. The #17 ranked Utah Utes will host the high-scoring attack of the #15 ranked Arizona Wildcats.

#24 Louisville at Notre Dame (-3.5, 53) 3:30 PM NBC

The Notre Dame fighting Irish will look to rebound off to straight losses and a 43–40 upset loss for northwestern when they host ate one of the better defenses the face this season in the #24 ranked Louisville Cardinals.

#16 Wisconsin (-10, 51.5) at Iowa 3:30 PM ABC/ESPN2

The #20 ranked Wisconsin badgers will head to Iowa City, Iowa to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in a Big Ten affair. Wisconsin is coming off a huge 59–24 win over Nebraska, which saw running back Melvin Gordon rush for a record for 408 yards, putting himself in serious Heisman trophy consideration.

#19 USC at #91 UCLA (-3.5, 61) 8:00 PM

Cody Kessler and the #19 ranked USC Trojans will take on the #11 ranked UCLA Bruins in a key PAC-12 battle for the Lexus Gauntlet. The Trojans have won three of the past four meetings, with UCLA getting the win last season.

Week 2 of the 2014 college football season is upon us. Here are some of the marquee matchups and the lines for the upcoming weekend of action, courtesy of JustBet Sportsbook. All NCAA football bettors and sports fans will get their fill of quality action this weekend as there are quite a few interesting matchups on tap.

Thursday, September 4th

Arizona (-7) at TX-San Antonio 8:00 PM EST

The Texas-San Antonio Road Runners will look to build on their 27-7 win at Houston last weekend as they host the Arizona Wildcats. The Road Runners surprised many beating the Cougars as 10 point underdogs. Arizona took care of business last weekend, destroying UNLV 58-13.

Friday, September 5th

Pittsburgh (-4.5) at Boston College 7:00 pm EST

The Pitt Panthers and Boston College Eagles open up ACC Conferenceplay on Friday night. Both teams had easy wins in week 1. Boston College defeated UMass 30-7, while Pitt destroyed Delaware 62-0. This will mark the first time these schools have met in ACC play, and the first time they’ve faced each other since 2004, a 20-17 Pitt victory.

Saturday, September 6th

#4 Oklahoma (-24) at Tulsa 12:00 pm EST

The #4 ranked Oklahoma Sooners will travel to Tulsa to take on the Golden Hurricane. The Sooners took care of business last week, as the defense put forth a dominating effort in a 48-16 win. Tulsa got some revenge against Tulane, winning 38-31 in double overtime in what was one of the more entertaining games of week 1.

Florida Atlantic at #2 Alabama (-41) 12:00PM EST 

The Alabama Crimson Tide will take on Florida Atlantic in their home opener.  Alabama had their hands full with West Virginia, winning 33-23. Florida Atlantic was not as successful last weekend, losing at Nebraska 55-7, where they only registered 13 first downs against the Cornhuskers.

#15 USC at #11 Stanford (-3.5) 3:30 PM EST

The #15 USC Trojans take on the #11 Stanford Cardinal in what will be a pivotal matchup in the PAC-12. Stanford has beaten USC in 5 of the last 7 meetings. With Steve Sarkisian at the helm for Stanford, it can only make this rivalry even better. Both teams won their week 1 games rather easily, with Stanford defeating UC-Davis 45-0, and USC defeating Fresno State 52-13. USC unveiled a new up-tempo offense last week, but Stanford’s defense has been known to deal with it quite well in the past. This should be a great matchup.

#8 Michigan State at #3 Oregon (-13) 7:30 PM EST

A fast paced up-tempo offense takes on one of the better defenses in the nation as the Oregon Ducks host the Michigan State Spartans in what will be the marquee game of the weekend. Oregon has had its share of difficulties against stellar defenses in prior seasons, and the defending Rose Bowl champions out of the Big Ten have just that. National championship implications will most definitely be at stake in this one.

Michigan (-17.5) vs #17 Notre Dame 7:30 pm EST

The Michigan Wolverines take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in one of the better rivalries in college football. The Wolverines have won 4 out of the last 5 matchups, and won last year’s matchup 41-30.  Michigan didn’t overlook Appalachian State last weekend, winning 52-14. Everett Golson made his return to last weekend, leading the Irish to a 48-17 victory over Rice.

The X’s and O’s of the Sun Bowl predictions aren’t shared by many expert handicappers, but here at Bankroll Sports, we are giving up all of our insight and telling you all of the keys to the game for the USC Trojans vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Sun Bowl picks are some of the hardest to make this year of all of the bowl games, so don’t miss out on all of our USC vs. Georgia Tech predictions!

2012 Sun Bowl: USC Trojans vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
2012 Sun Bowl Location: Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX
2012 Sun Bowl Date/Time: Monday, December 31st, 2:00 p.m. (ET)
2012 Sun Bowl On TV: CBS

Click Here For The Rest Of The 2012-13 Bowl Game Schedule And Other Bowl Game Previews

Key #1: The Trojans have to care about this game
We question the motivation of teams all the time in bowl games like this one. USC was ranked as the No. 1 team in the country at one point early this season, and it was considered one of the early favorites to win the BCS National Championship. And yet what happened down the stretch? The team lost a game to the Arizona Wildcats on the road, and the wheels came off. The Men of Troy dropped four of their final five games of the year to drop from a team that still should have ultimately had a chance to play for the Rose Bowl to one that was lucky just to be in the Sun Bowl when push came to shove. What’s worse than just coming to the Sun Bowl is the fact that the only sub-.500 team playing in a bowl game this year is waiting. Georgia Tech went just 6-7 on the campaign, and it went 6-7 in spite of the fact that the ACC flat out stunk this year. It’s a tough matchup, not from a talent vs. talent standpoint for the Men of Troy, but from the standpoint that they have to put a lot of emotional effort into the game to win it. The potential is there for USC to win by 50. The potential is also there to lose by 20.

Sun Bowl Odds at BetRevolution Sportsbook
USC Trojans -7.5
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets +7.5
Over/Under 64.5
Click Here to Bet Your Sun Bowl Picks!

Key #2: The front seven of the USC defense has to hang in there
On paper, this should be an insane mismatch. The front seven for the Trojans features just a ton of NFL type of talent that should be able to stop any offense that is thrown their way. With four weeks and 16 practices to prepare for the triple option, this defense should have had plenty of time to devise a plan to stop a very basic unit that probably doesn’t feature a single player that will ever take a meaningful snap (if a snap ever at all) at the next level. What makes this tough though, is the style of play. The Ramblin’ Wreck offensive linemen get low and cut block play after play, and even the best defensive lines have been frustrated as could be by this unit. On top of that, the pace of the game is always quick in spite of the fact that the clock moves quickly as well. Whether it be QB Vad Lee or QB Tevin Washington that is running the triple option, both men can get to the line of scrimmage quickly and force you to keep your same defense on the field. That’s what makes this matchup particularly tough for the full 60 minutes for the Trojans.

Key #3: Max Wittek just has to play better football than he did against Notre Dame
Needless to say, this wasn’t the season that the Men of Troy truly figured that they were going to be getting this year. QB Matt Barkley was supposed to win the Heisman Trophy, and he was supposed to be the man that triumphantly led USC to a minimum of the Pac-12 Championship Game and the Rose Bowl, if not the BCS National Championship Game. Instead, Barkley led the team to four losses before getting injured and replaced by QB Max Wittek in the finale against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Wittek is the future of this program for sure, but he is struggling in the present. Wittek went just 14-of-23 against Notre Dame in the last game of the regular season, and he is going to be facing a defensive front that just loves to bring the pressure from all angles. A seasoned veteran would probably pick up on all of that. Wittek, at times, looked like a dear in headlights going against the Irish. Was it the fact that Notre Dame’s defense is that good, or is Wittek really in need of that much more cultivating. That’s going to be the key on New Year’s Eve. If Wittek doesn’t at least play respectable ball, the Trojans may as well get out of Dodge and head back to LA.

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It was only five years ago that the Stanford Cardinal, a tiny little team that was on the upswing coached by Jim Harbaugh, came into the LA Coliseum and shocked the USC Trojans as 39-point underdogs. Since that point, these two have played back and forth football, including some tremendously competitive games. Now that USC is back from its probation, this could be a heck of a clash in the Pac-12, and it might be a preview of the Pac-12 Championship Game if the chips end up falling right for both teams. Coaches on both sides have changed, and both teams have gone through some massive overhauls, but in the end, the results should still be the same. There is a reason that this is the No. 9 game in our list of the Top 25 college football matchups of the season.

USC Trojans vs. Stanford Cardinal Picks & Info
USC Trojans vs. Stanford Cardinal Date: Saturday, September 15th
USC Trojans vs. Stanford Cardinal Location: Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, CA
USC Trojans vs. Stanford Cardinal Spread: USC Trojans -11.5

After last year’s loss to Stanford in overtime at the Coliseum, the Trojans figure to be out for blood. They have actually lost three in a row in this series, and this is a part of the reason why QB Matt Barkley has come back to school for his final year. Barkley is one of the many future NFLers that will be on the field in this game on both sides, and a lot of them are going to be wearing the colors of the Trojans. Still, you have to go back to 2008 to find the last time that USC was able to come into “The Farm” and post a victory, and at that point, Stanford was still a team that was up and coming. The defense is what is going to be challenged for USC, as the Cardinal have dropped 56, 37, and 55 points on the board against the Trojans over the course of the last three seasons, something that Head Coach Lane Kiffin is surely going to be pointing out to his team when this one comes up on the schedule.

USC Trojans vs. Stanford Cardinal Past Games (Since 1995)
2011: Stanford 56 – USC 48
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 35 – Stanford 9
1997: USC 45 – Stanford 21
1996: Stanford 24 – USC 20

We haven’t spoken a heck of a lot about the Cardinal this year, but we still think that they are going to be a dangerous team in spite of the fact that QB Andrew Luck is now playing with the Indianapolis Colts. QB Brett Nottingham is a heady player, and he learned at the feet of Luck to be able to come into this position. This might be the time for him to shine. He has a great offensive line in front of him even though OL David DeCastro elected to go to the NFL early. There are four returners, and a heck of a lot of tight ends that know what they are doing both in the passing game and the blocking game. RB Stepfan Taylor could be in for a massive game this time around, almost like what RB Toby Gerhart was able to do to the Trojans a few years ago when these teams played here in Palo Alto.

USC @ Stanford Free Picks^^: The hype that has surrounded USC over the course of the last few months has been out of this world. There is no doubt whatsoever that the Trojans have the superiorly talented team, but we have to remember that Stanford has covered nine out of the last 13 here in this series. That’s definitely not a mistake. Especially for a game that is being played here “On the Farm,” it could be a heck of a challenge for the Men of Troy. We definitely want the points on our side, and we wouldn’t be all that shocked if there is an upset that is in the cards.

^^Please Note: The USC @ Stanford picks listed above on our sports betting blog are made by our staff writers. These football picks are based upon the betting lines listed in August 2012 and do not reflect the actual expert handicapping picks at Bankroll Sports. Click Here to receive our premium expert handicappers NCAA Football Picks for the 2012 campaign.

You can purchase our premium USC vs. Stanford picks from our experts on Saturday, 9/15

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 Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been craving respect for years and years. This could be a difficult season, but it could just as easily be one in which a BCS bowl game might be on the line. If Notre Dame has eight wins coming into this contest with the USC Trojans, it could be well on its way to the Orange Bowl or the Sugar Bowl. For the Trojans though, this could be the second to last step between them and a perfect season and a bid in the BCS National Championship Game. If nothing else, there is a ton of history and tradition here between these two schools, and this year’s game at the LA Coliseum will certainly be a college football matchup that cannot be missed.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ USC Trojans Picks & Info
Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ USC Trojans Date: Saturday, November 24th
Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ USC Trojans Location: Los Angeles Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ USC Trojans Spread: USC Trojans -13

Notre Dame will already know at this point what its season is going to be like. This might determine whether it gets to go to a bowl game or a BCS bowl bid, but there is no doubt that the National Championship is not in the picture. It is anyone’s guess as to whether it will be QB Tommy Rees or QB Andrew Hendrix by this point in the season, but either way, we know that the microscope is going to be on both of these athletes by November. Odds have it, both will have played and gone through many ups and downs, and whichever one is under center is going to know that he is in a lot of trouble going up against the stout USC defense.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. USC Trojans Past Games (Since 1995)
2011: USC 31 – Notre Dame 17
2010: Notre Dame 20 – USC 16
2009: USC 34 – Notre Dame 27
2008: USC 38 – Notre Dame 3
2007: USC 38 – Notre Dame 0
2006: USC 44 – Notre Dame 24
2005: USC 34 – Notre Dame 31
2004: USC 41 – Notre Dame 10
2003: USC 45 – Notre Dame 14
2002: USC 44 – Notre Dame 13
2001: Notre Dame 27 – USC 16
2000: Notre Dame 38 – USC 21
1999: Notre Dame 25 – USC 24
1998: USC 10 – Notre Dame 0
1997: USC 20 – Notre Dame 17
1996: USC 27 – Notre Dame 20
1995: Notre Dame 38 – USC 10

This is the first time that we have taken a look at the Trojans in our Top 25 countdown of the best college football matchups of the year, and we have to say that it is obvious that we like what we see. This could be the final home game for QB Matt Barkley, though in all likelihood, the next week, he’ll be playing in the Pac-12 Championship Game at the Coliseum as well. He’ll want to put on a show, as will so many of the other members of the Men of Troy that are going to be leaving for the NFL after this upcoming season is over with. Barkley might also have a Heisman Trophy to go out and win, and you know with the national media all over this game and everything that this team does, every single snap is important. Don’t be all that shocked, especially up against a Notre Dame secondary that has the tendency of being suspect, if Barkley ends up with a huge game on what will be Senior Night.

Notre Dame @ USC Free Picks^^: ‘V’ is for victory, and there is no doubt that USC is going to be proving triumphant in this one. Notre Dame is overrated at this point, but by the end of the year, when the Trojans are either undefeated or on the verge of it, there won’t be a way that this point spread is below two touchdowns. Back the Men of Troy in what could be their final home game to blow the Irish out of the water by at least three scores.

^^Disclaimer: Our college football picks by our sports blog writers are independent of those from our Expert NCAA Football Handicappers. All NCAA football odds and lines in our Top 25 are from the month of August, and those lines could and likely will change by the time the game kicks off.

You won’t want to miss our Notre Dame @ USC picks when our expert college football handicappers have them posted on the week of 11/24/12.

Pac-12 football should be interesting this season, especially knowing that there is the dynamic of the USC Trojans not being eligible for the conference crown. The Oregon Ducks might not need to beat USC to win the conference this year, but they might need this one to contend for the National Championship Game.

USC Trojans @ Oregon Ducks Picks & Info
USC Trojans @ Oregon Ducks Date: Saturday, November 19th, 2011
USC Trojans @ Oregon Ducks Location: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR
USC Trojans @ Oregon Ducks Spread: Oregon Ducks -10

If the Trojans really open up as 10 point underdogs in this one, you know that Head Coach Lane Kiffin is going to use that as some big time bulletin board material. It’s big enough that this is the Game of the Year for the Men of Troy, knowing that this is the duel against the team that nearly won the whole enchilada last year. QB Matt Barkley knows that he is going to have the onus of this offense on his shoulders. He led the team to a 32-29 lead in the third quarter against the Ducks, but the defense just had no chance, giving up a whopping 600 yards. Ultimately, two picks cost Barkley and really countered his 264 passing yards.

USC Trojans @ Oregon Ducks Past Games (Since 1996)
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

Oregon’s offense has scored a whopping 100 points in the last two meetings against the Trojans thanks to Head Coach Chip Kelly’s offense. Last year, QB Darron Thomas threw for 288 yards and rushed for 42 more, and RB LaMichael James rumbled for 239 yards and three TDs. Like we said, we already know that the Ducks put up those 600 yards against USC, something that was really unheard of before. The only question is that defense, but that was the same unit that was questioned all season long before rallying to the National Championship Game. Ironically, it was the offense that came up short against the Auburn Tigers. The Ducks also haven’t lost a home game since losing to the Boise State Broncos in September 2008, and they haven’t been beaten at home in Pac-10 play since losing the Civil War against the Oregon State Beavers in 2007.

USC Trojans @ Oregon Ducks Game Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 8/1/11):
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USC Trojans (+10) @ Oregon Ducks