San Jose State Spartans vs USC Trojans Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 08/29/2026

Game Time: 3:00 pm ET, Saturday, August 29, 2026

Venue:  LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA

Where to Watch:  NBC

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  SJSU +38.5, USC -38.5; Over/Under:  60.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  SJSU +38.5, USC -38.5; Over/Under:  60.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  SJSU +38.5, USC -38.5; Over/Under:  60.5 points

San Jose State Spartans:  0-0 (0-0) (MWC)

USC Trojans:  0-0 (0-0) (Big Ten)

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San Jose State Spartans:  N/A

USC Trojans:  N/A

San Jose State finished last season with a 3-9 record overall and they had a 2-6 record in their conference games too.  They were 3-3 in their home games, 0-6 in their road games, and they were also 0-0 in their neutral site games last season, but they will be on the road for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 21.4 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 32.5 points per game. Their offense also averaged 402.3 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 403.2 yards per game. Walker Eget led the team in passing yards with 3,051, Steve Chavez-Soto led the team in rushing yards with 448, and Danny Scudero led the team in receiving yards with 1,297.

 

 

 

USC finished last season with a 9-4 record overall and they had a 7-2 record in their conference games too.  They were 7-0 in their home games, 2-3 in their road games, and they were also 0-1 in their neutral site games last season, but they will be at home for this season opener. Last season, their offense was averaging 35.8 points scored per game while their defense was allowing an average of 23 points per game. Their offense also averaged 465.5 yards per game while their defense was allowing an average of 350.8 yards per game. Jayden Maiava led the team in passing yards with 3,711, King Miller led the team in rushing yards with 972, and Makai Lemon led the team in receiving yards with 1,156.

The current betting odds have USC listed as a 38.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. USC is coming off a solid season with 9 wins, but that wasn't enough to get them into the college football playoff. That will definitely be the goal for this season as they enter the year ranked inside the top 25. The offense was great last season, but the offense was never the issue for this team. Their defense has been subpar under Riley as head coach, but they are bringing in a ton of defensive talent this year, so that defense should improve. They are also returning their starting QB from last year who had a great season, so Maiava will be looking to take another step this year with the talent around him. San Jose State is coming off a season that wasn't nearly as good. They play in the Mountain West Conference which is a weaker conference and they don't have the talent to be a playoff contender either. They are in their 3rd season with Niumatalolo as their head coach and he had a great 1st year with the team, but they did take a big step back last year in his 2nd season, being one of the worst teams in the MWC. This is a really tough game for them to start the season with too, being very outmatched with both talent and depth. Lincoln Riley is also in his 5th year as head coach of USC now and as consistent as they have been over the last few years, they still haven't made a playoff appearance. This could be a make or break year for USC when it comes to going to the CFP, so they will be looking for a strong start to the season and they aren't going to take their foot off the gas here as they look to get into rhythm before the opponents get stronger. USC is the more talented team here by far with a ton of offensive power and an improved defense, look for USC to roll this lesser San Jose State team at home in their season opener. The best way to place a bet here is on USC to cover the spread in this game. 

San Jose State USC Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, August 29, 2026 (3:00 pm ET start time) is USC 56 SJSU 13.

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San Jose State Spartans: 9-14 ATS against FBS division opponents. 2-5 ATS against Big 10 conference opponents. 10-15 ATS in all lined games. 10-2 UNDER as an underdog of 31 or more points. 23-12 UNDER in a road game where the total is between 56.5 and 63.

USC Trojans: 8-3 ATS as a home favorite. 6-2 ATS in non-conference games. 12-5 ATS in games played on a grass field. 9-6 UNDER against Mountain West conference opponents.

San Jose State Spartans:  None.

USC Trojans:  None.

“Last year still pisses me off. And from the end of last year on, my mind hasn’t stopped thinking, ‘How are we gonna get better?’” - Ken Niumatalolo on his mindset coming into this new college football season.

“I would definitely put Jontez high up on that list for sure. I think as he gets further and further away from the injury, his playmaking ability and experience- you can just feel this guy’s played a lot of ball. You can just tell he’s made a lot of plays already at this level. His ability to adapt to our scheme pretty quickly has definitely been apparent. (Elbert) Rock Hill has made a lot of nice plays on the ball.” - Lincoln Riley on some of his defensive playmakers coming into this new CFB season. 

WR Ivey, Anthony

WR Anderson, Jordan

WR McClure, Jerry

TE Boultwood, Ryan

QB Weaver, Luke

RB Bates, Jabari

WR Anderson, Terrell

WR Hines, Tanook

WR Williams, Zacharyus

TE Bowman, Mark

QB Maiava, Jayden

RB Jordan, Waymond

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Passing: N/A

Rushing: N/A

Receiving: N/A

Touchdowns: N/A

Coaches:

San Jose State Spartans: Ken Niumatalolo (3rd season)

USC Trojans: Lincoln Riley (5th season)