San Jose State vs USC Prediction - College Football Picks 8/26/23

The San Jose State Spartans will play the USC Trojans in a non-conference game in Week 0 on Saturday night at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. Both of these teams had winning seasons last year, but USC has their sights on a College Football Playoff Berth this year. 

San Jose State Preview

The San Jose State Spartans went 7-5 last season and they went 5-3 in the Mountain West. The Spartans got wins against Portland, Western Michigan, Wyoming, UNLV, Nevada, Colorado State, and Hawaii. San Jose State did go to the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, where they lost 41-27 to Eastern Michigan. The San Jose State defense ran into some issues towards the end of last season, allowing 35 points or more in three of their last four games. San Jose State is starting Chevan Cordeiro at quarterback, who threw for 3,250 yards, 23 touchdowns, and six interceptions for the Spartans last year. Cordeiro also added 265 rushing yards and nine scores. Kairee Robinson returns for the Spartans at running back after rushing for 752 yards and 10 touchdowns last year. 

San Jose State Spartans Team Facts

• San Jose State has lost each of its last eight games as an underdog against AP-ranked teams.
• The underdog has covered the spread in six of San Jose State's last seven games.
• San Jose State has lost the first half in each of its last four road games against opponents from the Pac-12 Conference.
• Each of San Jose State's last eight road openers as an underdog have gone UNDER the total points line.

USC Preview

The USC Trojans went 11-3 last year and they went 8-2 in Pac-12 play. USC did go to the PAC-12 Title game, where they lost 47-24 to Utah. The Trojans tried to bounce back in their bowl game against Tulane, but the Green Wave pulled off a stunning 46-45 win. USC had one of the best offensive attacks last season, scoring 30 points or more in 12 of their last 14 games. Caleb Williams was a big reason why the USC offense was so good, as he threw for 4,537 yards, 42 touchdowns, and five interceptions, while also running for 382 yards and 10 scores. USC did lose quite a bit of talent from last year, but they brought in more than a few transfers to help fill the voids. On the other side of the ball, USC needs to get better defensively. The Trojans allowed 27 points or more in eight games last year. USC’s offense will carry them for most of the season, but their defense is going to need step up at some point, which they weren’t able to do against Utah last year.