NCAA Football
2025-12-30 - USC Trojans at TCU Horned Frogs
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : College Football Alamo Bowl
Tuesday 30th December 2025 - Scheduled 9pm
2am (British Time)
Preview
This is going to be feel like a home game at the Alamo Bowl for the TCU Horned Frogs (8-4) who finished middle of the pack in the Big 12. However, they are going to be playing with a backup Quarter Back and this is a big test for the Horned Frogs against the USC Trojans (9-3) who came up a little short of the Playoff positions.
Missing out means the Trojans have also lost a host of starters who are beginning to think about the next stage of the career, but they will have Jayden Maiava at Quarter Back and USC will be giving the nation an early look at some of the top recruitments that will be getting a lot more playing time in 2026.
Everything will begin for the Trojans at the Line of Scrimmage and they will feel they can establish the run against this Horned Frogs Defensive Line that had issues stopping the run at the end of the regular season. A tough schedule meant the Trojans most recent outings were not the most impressive when it comes to the yards being picked up on the ground, but they will feel the overall season performances will give the team confidence to pound the rock.
Jayden Maiava may have lost some of his big contributors at the Wide Receiver position, but the Quarter Back is aware of the talent that will still be in those skill positions.
He should be able to put up some solid passing numbers against this Horned Frogs Secondary and the USC Trojans should have success in keeping the chains moving.
It feels like the Line of Scrimmage is going to be really important for the TCU Horned Frogs who will have Ken Seals playing at Quarter Back having had limited time on the field over the last two seasons. They are going to have a challenge trying to establish the run considering the strength that the Trojans have shown up front all season and this will likely mean Ken Seals has to make some big plays with his arm.
Ken Seals has had experience at Quarter Back with the Vanderbilt Commodores, but the decision to transfer to the Horned Frogs has perhaps not worked out as he would have hoped. There is an expectation that Ken Seals will have some success throwing the ball with the likelihood being that the USC Secondary is not playing with the same intensity as they would have had in the Playoff, but the Quarter Back will also likely show some inexperience.
In what could be another high-scoring Bowl Game, it is the difference of the experiences of the Quarter Back for each team that may be the telling factor.
The spread is pretty large, but the USC Trojans can give the Associated Press members a reason to Rank them pretty highly in the build up to the 2026 season by showcasing some of the younger talent coming through.
Prediction
Lay the points with the favourite in this latest Bowl Game as the post-season winds down for many in College Football.
The Pick :
TCU Horned Frogs 23-30 USC Trojans
