USC has suffered a season's worth of attrition to its defense in recent weeks between injuries and players opting out, and it's showing on the field. After a good start to the year, this Trojans defense has wilted lately, and Maryland should be able to move the ball against it. On the other side, I've seen nothing from the Terps defense that suggests they'll get many stops in this one, either.

The USC defense is really being tested from a depth perspective, with news out this week that star linebacker Eric Gentry and defensive lineman Anthony Lucas are out for the rest of the season. Combine that with last week's exit from Bear Alexander, and suddenly the Trojans are deep on the depth chart for the dog days of October. That's not great going up against Billy Edwards and a Maryland offense that can push the ball down the field, but the Terps are also not a lock to pull the upset thanks to a defense that's given up 35.3 points per game in Big Ten play.