Week 0 Battle with the Spartans and Trojans: San Jose State vs USC Expert Picks

College Football is here boys and girls and we have a familiar matchup in Week 0 for the 2nd time in four years as USC will host San Jose State at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. Big expectations for Lincoln Riley and the Trojans this season, as they look to start fast against the Spartans. Let's get into our expert NCAA Football picks for Saturday's CFB Kick Off!

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NCAA Football Expert Insights: San Jose State vs. USC

Lincoln Riley is already in his 5th season with USC. The first year his Trojans were 11-3 with a shot at going to the playoff and since then they really haven't been much of a threat to go back. This year people feel like this might be his best overall team. They have 9 starters back on offense including QB Jayden Maiava and should be one of the country's best offenses. Defensively, they have a lot of talent and long time TCU Head Coach, Gary Patterson will be the defensive coordinator.

Last year USC lost on the road at Illinois, at Notre Dame and at Oregon. The conference road games have really plagued Lincoln Riley ever since taking over at USC. With roadtrips to Penn State, Wisconsin, and Indiana and home games vs Ohio State and Oregon it's a tough schedule this year for the Trojans.

On the flip side, San Jose State does not have big expectations this season. After going 3-9 last season they are once again expected to finish towards the bottom of the Mountain West. They only have one returning starter on offense this season and lose 12 of their top 13 tacklers from defense last season. It's a totally new roster that might take a little time to gel. Ken Niumatalolo is in his 3rd year as Head Coach. He did a terrific job at Navy for 15 years and is looking for a bounce back season.

Matchup Information – San Jose State vs USC– August 29

• • Venue & Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles, CA)
  • Date: Saturday, August 29, 2026
  • Kick Off: 3:00 p.m. Eastern
  • Broadcast: NBC

 

we play football this weekend ‼️3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/87BOurAxwC

— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) August 26, 2026

 

Spartans vs Trojans Betting Odds

Odds listed are from BetOnline as of Thursday, August 27, 2026 at 10:45 a.m. eastern.

Spread

• San Jose State +38.5 (-110)
• USC -38.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• N/A
• N/A

Total

• Over 60.5 (-110)
• Under 60.5 (-110)

San Jose State vs USC: NCAA Football Expert Picks

San Jose State vs USC Prediction: USC Wins and Cover, Over 60.5

Best Bet: USC Team Total Over 48.5 (-130) BetOnline

I mentioned earlier how Lincoln Riley has struggled on the road to win games in BIG 10 play – well he doesn't struggle in home openers. His teams normally dominate out of the gate and they usually put up a lot of points doing it.

Last season, USC beat Missouri State 73-13. The year before that they beat Utah State 48-0 in the home opener. They beat San Jose State 56-28 and Nevada 66-14 in 2023 and they took down Rice 66-14 in 2022. The last 4 seasons when USC goes up against Group of 5 teams at home they usually name their number and I don't expect this year to be any different. Lincoln's Riley's offensive system and the play makers USC has are just to much for these other teams to handle and with San Jose State having to replace 12 of their top 13 tacklers from last season I expect it to be a long day.

The spread at 38.5 should be a good play too, but that is a lot of points. You never know what the 4th quarter could look like when USC is up 40 plus points and they pull everybody. I think the better play is to just take the USC Team Total Over. I feel like they score at least 50 points in this game. So turn the game on Saturday afternoon, kick your feet up, and root for Lincoln Riley and the Trojans to put up a whole lot of points in the opener like they normally do.

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