USC opens Lincoln Riley's fifth year at home in the Coliseum against a San José State team that just tore its roster down to the studs. This is the kind of Week Zero game that's less about suspense and more about first impressions.
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SJSUUSC
SJSUUSC
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Best BetUSC
USC's price here reflects what the roster gap already tells you: this shouldn't be competitive. San José State gutted its two-deep and is breaking in a transfer QB in a new system, while USC returns its starting quarterback and just signed the country's top class. There's no value angle on the underdog moneyline in a mismatch this lopsided.
San José State
+Six Spartans named preseason All-Mountain West
+Portal additions at corner and safety
+Reliable new kicker (18-of-22 field goals)
−Coming off a 3-9 season, near-total roster overhaul
−Transfer QB and O-line both learning new systems
−0-6 all-time vs USC, every game in the Coliseum
USC
+Maiava returns with 31 career starts, nation-best QBR
+No. 1-ranked 2026 recruiting class nationally
+New DC Gary Patterson upgrading the defense
−Brand-new defensive scheme still installing
−Several defensive players missed spring practice
−Early-kickoff Coliseum heat is a real physical factor
Jayden Maiava is back under center for USC with 31 career starts and a QBR that led the entire country last season, and that continuity matters against a team replacing almost everyone who mattered on its own roster. San José State counters with Luke Weaver, a transfer from Hawaii who spent spring practice working his way up the depth chart in a brand-new offense. One quarterback has three-plus years of tape and chemistry with his staff. The other is still learning the terminology.
USC's defense is the bigger swing factor here. New coordinator Gary Patterson is installing a hybrid 4-2-5 scheme built off his TCU roots, and players have raved about how much faster it lets them play, but any new install has early-season wrinkles, and a few defensive players missed spring reps altogether. San José State's own offensive line is dealing with the same kind of transition, learning new terminology under a new O-line voice, which historically costs teams reps and penalties in Week 1. Vegas has already made its opinion clear, installing USC as a massive favorite before a snap has been played.
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SJSU San José State
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The bigger story for the Trojans is proving the hype right. USC signed the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in the country for 2026, the first non-SEC program to do that since 2008, and Riley has talked openly about turning a good defense into a great one. A home opener against a rebuilding Mountain West team is exactly the low-risk setting to let a new-look roster find its footing before the schedule gets hard.
San José State Spartans
USC Trojans
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San José State isn't devoid of talent, either. Six Spartans landed on the preseason All-Mountain West team, and the program did add real pieces on defense, including corner Isaiah Buxton from San Diego State and safety Brian Dukes from Cal Poly. Coach Ken Niumatalolo is entering year 3 with a program that's set the bar at simply avoiding a second straight losing season, and that context matters when a 35.5-point spread and a trip into the Coliseum heat awaits in Week Zero.
San José State Spartans
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
USC Trojans
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
History isn't kind to the Spartans in this series, either. USC is 6-0 all-time against San José State, every one of those games in the Coliseum, and the most recent meeting in 2023 was a 56-28 rout that opened Caleb Williams's final USC season. Nothing about this year's roster gap suggests that trend is about to flip.
