USC vs. San Jose State Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Caleb Williams, USC Start the Season with a Bang?
USC host San Jose State to start the 2023-24 NCAAF season. Can Caleb Williams and USC start the season with a bang? Matt MacKay breaks down his USC vs. San Jose State prediction, pick, and odds before Saturday's highly anticipated game.
Matt MacKay - August 21, 2023, 10:16 AM EDT
7 minUSC vs. San Jose State Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Caleb Williams, USC Start the Season with a Bang?
The USC Trojans are among the biggest powerhouses in all college football this season, starting off their season at home against an inferior San Jose State Spartans opponent in Week 0. Caleb Williams is fresh off of his Heisman-winning campaign, where he logged over 66 percent completion rate with 4,500 passing yards and a blistering 42 touchdown to five interception ratio.
San Jose State will have its work cut out underneath seventh-year head coach Brent Brennan, who has slowly turned the program around from a combined three wins in his first two seasons. A 7-5 record in 2022 led to a loss in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, so the Spartans have enough to be optimistic about how they can compete against other Mountain West Conference opponents in 2023.
Williams is missing several key pieces to the offense, like wideout Jordan Addison, but with head coach Lincoln Riley at the helm, we should expect another strong year out of the Trojans, as Williams will attempt to win back-to-back Heisman trophies for the first time since Ohio State running back Archie Griffin in the 1970s. The Air Raid offensive scheme that Riley calls seems to be the perfect fit for the personnel brought in to compete at USC. The Trojans reloaded their offensive line and added junior transfer wideout Dorian Singer to fill the vacancy at the Z receiver position.
Can San Jose cause a bit of discomfort for USC? Or will we watch a one-sided blowout with the Trojans routing the Spartans? Here are our picks, predictions, and odds ahead of Saturday night's game between the USC Trojans vs. San Jose State Spartans.
USC vs. San Jose State Start Time, Where To Watch, And Odds
- Date: Saturday, August 26, 2023
- Game Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- Where to Watch: PAC 12 Network
USC vs. San Jose State Odds
- Spread: USC -30.5 (-110), San Jose State +30.5 (-110)
- Total Odds: Under 64.5 (-110), Over 64.5 (-110)
- Moneyline Odds: USC (-90000), San Jose State (+2500)
USC vs. San Jose State Injury Report
USC
Questionable: N/A
Out: N/A
San Jose
Questionable: TE Jackson Canaan (Undisclosed), RB Jakob Galloway (Undisclosed), WR Justin Lockhart (Arm)
Out: N/A
USC vs. San Jose State Prediction
The last time these two teams played in 2021, circumstances were much different, especially for USC. Neither Riley nor Williams were present, but the Trojans still handled San Jose State 30-7 at home in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. However, we also watched USC struggle against mediocre teams at best, barely claiming a win against Oregon State in an ugly 17-14 victory in Week 4 last year.
San Jose State has the benefit of the doubt when it comes to flying under the radar in this game. The Spartans haven't made nearly as many personnel changes and upgrades compared to USC, but they did manage to bring back quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, who had a 4/1 touchdown: interception ratio in 2022, along with nine rushing touchdowns. San Jose's spread formation offense was just outside the top 70 in scoring average at 27.4 points per game, while the defense was stout, holding opponents to a 22-point average, ranked 30th in the FBS.
Defense could make the total interesting, but there's no way I'm betting confidently on either side of the total in this matchup. USC could easily pull away from this early then coast with backups, allowing San Jose State to chip away and hang around close enough to cover the ridiculously large 30.5-point spread as road underdogs. Three of San Jose's final four games saw the defense falter, allowing 35-43 points during its final stretch against real competition.
If there's a side in this game that is screaming value and lock of the weekend, it's San Jose State to cover the 30.5-point spread in the Coliseum during Week 0. The Spartans' biggest defeat was 43-27 against San Diego State last season. Even though they aren't built to keep up with the fast-paced offense of USC, led by a Heisman-winning quarterback and brilliant head coach, I like getting -110 odds on an underdog to lose by 30 points or less, especially a defensively sound team with a capable offense, which is precisely what San Jose State will deploy in 2023.
USC vs. San Jose State Pick
- San Jose State +30.5 (-110) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
College Football Odds
