San Jose State vs. #14 USC Prediction, Spread, Pick for Week 0

The 2026 college football season is finally here, and we have some exciting games to kick off Week 0 this Saturday, including some that could bring upsets.

One of the more lopsided games in Week 0 sees the No. 14 USC Trojans host the San Jose State Spartans. USC is an overwhelming favorite, entering as 38.5-point favorites on the spread, per PrizePicks Team Picks.

These California teams last went head-to-head in 2023, when USC QB Caleb Williams led the Trojans to a 56-28 victory. Now, it'll be Jayden Maiava leading the Trojans in his second full year as the starting QB, and PrizePicks has Maiava's pass yards projection set at 0.5 — a Guarantee Pick promo only on the board until kickoff.

Below, we’ll break down our San Jose State vs. USC prediction and picks for Saturday’s college football game in Week 0, including a pick against the spread for PrizePicks.

Make your San Jose State vs. USC pick on PrizePicks now — including on the spread!

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San Jose State vs. #14 USC Prediction, Spread, Over/Under for Week 0

The San Jose State Spartans and head coach Ken Niumatalolo were forced to rebuild a large chunk of their roster after losing 18 players to the transfer portal. This is the plight of modern college football, but one thing that will remain consistent is the spread offense that has become a staple of Spartan football.

San Jose State will begin the season with Hawaii transfer QB Luke Weaver, who won the starting job over two freshmen QBs — Robert McDaniel and Daniel Rolovich. Niumatalolo described the QB competition as “agonizingly tight”, but ultimately settled on Weaver for his ability to process the offense.

The Spartans also lost their best playmaker in WR (1,297 yards in 2025), who took his talents to Colorado in the offseason. They will aim to replace his production with a bevy of talented transfer wide receivers in Jordan Anderson (Sacramento State), Anthony Ivey (Penn State), and Jerry McClure (San Diego State).

USC also lost a significant number of players in the transfer portal, with 21 players transferring out; they added only nine players from the portal and instead turned their attention to high school recruiting with a massive 2026 recruiting class.

There will still be a lot of consistency for the Trojans, especially on offense, as they will once again be led by QB Jayden Maiava, who will be entering his third season at USC. Maiava was elite last season, throwing for over 3,700 yards with 24 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions.

USC returns its elite backfield of RB King Miller and Waymond Jordan, as the latter is returning from a season-ending ankle injury in 2025. Miller and Jordan combined for over 1,500 yards and 13 TDs on the ground last year and will continue to be a featured staple in this Lincoln Riley offense.

Make your San Jose State vs. USC prediction on PrizePicks now!

San Jose State vs. #14 USC Spread, Over/Under for Week 0 – Saturday, August 29

USC enters Saturday’s game as 38.5-point favorites against in-state opponents San Jose State via PrizePicks Team Picks.

Here are the full payouts for San Jose State vs. USC on PrizePicks Team Picks — available to users in California!

Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.

Make your San Jose State vs. USC prediction on PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money!

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San Jose State vs. USC Pick Against the Spread for Week 0 – 8/29/26

Here are the key stats and trends behind our San Jose State vs. USC prediction on the spread for the Week 0 game on Saturday, August 29.

• As mentioned above, the USC offense returns all of its key offensive pieces on an offense that ranked in the 96th percentile in expected points added per play in 2025, per Game on Paper.
• USC's passing offense ranked No. 1 in EPA/play with Maiava under center in 2026, while SJSU's defense ranked 122nd (9th percentile) in the same metric.
• San Jose State’s defense generated just 17 sacks all of last season, so Maiava should have ample time to pick apart this secondary when asked to throw.
• The Spartans ranked 124th in havoc rate (9.6%) in 2025, among the bottom 13 FBS teams.
• USC, under new defensive coordinator Gary Patterson, is expected to field a havoc-based defense that flies around the field and gets after the quarterback.
• This style of defense could prove devastating for the Spartans' offense, which is starting a basically brand-new offensive line, with portal tackles Brian Tapu and Ikinasio Tupou thrown into the fire immediately.
• Occasionally, in spots like this, you have to worry about the massive favorite potentially looking ahead if they have a big game on the horizon. We don’t have to worry about that with USC, as their next two games are also at home against Fresno State and Louisiana.
• The Trojans also performed admirably as large favorites last season, thumping Utah State, 48-0, and Nevada, 66-14.

Lock in your San Jose State vs. USC prediction on PrizePicks before Saturday’s CFB game

San Jose State vs. #14 USC Picks, Player Stats for PrizePicks – 8/29/26

Here are the top San Jose State vs. USC picks to target on PrizePicks for Saturday, August 29. Today’s CFB picks for PrizePicks include QB Luke Weaver and RB King Miller.

USC QB Jayden Maiava – 0.5 Pass Yards (Guarantee Pick Promo)

Lock in Jayden Maiava at 0.5 pass yards on PrizePicks before USC vs. SJSU kickoff!

USC football is back, and Jayden Maiava needs just one passing yard against San Jose State to hit this Guarantee Pick promo on PrizePicks. That means his passing yard projection is discounted to 0.5 yards today vs. SJSU.

Add Maiava to your lineup at 0.5 pass yards, then pair it with at least one more college football pick you like. If Maiava completes a pass for a single yard, this pick is already a W. It’s that simple.

The Jayden Maiava Guarantee Pick will expire at kickoff, so lock it in before the 3 p.m. ET start.

Find more CFB picks for Week 0 here to help build your lineup!

San Jose State QB Luke Weaver vs. USC: 36.5 Pass Attempts

• This is strictly a game-script play. This game is likely to get out of hand as early as the late first quarter, which should force the Spartans to air it out on the majority of their plays.
• The strength of this Spartans offense is their wide receiver room, so it would behoove them to target their talented WR core early and often.
• Weaver is no stranger to airing the ball out; in his two starts for Hawaii last year, he attempted 42 and 43 pass attempts.
• Since head coach Ken Niumatalolo left Navy, he has shifted his offense to an air-first attack, with a nearly 4:1 pass-to-run ratio during his SJSU tenure.
• This identity shift, coupled with the Spartans likely trailing for most of this game, should lead Weaver to attempt a whole bunch of passes, especially in the second half. 

Add Luke Weaver to your PrizePicks lineup now!

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USC RB King Miller vs. San Jose State: 70.5 Rushing Yards

• Miller could run wild against an undersized San Jose State defensive front that ranked 82nd in team rushing defense in 2025.
• King has produced every time he has gotten the touches, rushing for 70+ yards in seven of eight games in which he received at least 10+ attempts.
• Given the projected margin of this game, the rushing attempts should be bountiful for both USC running backs, but especially King Miller.
• Fellow RB Waymond Jordan will be returning from a season-ending ankle injury, so it remains a mystery as to how much Riley will want to use him early in the season.
• This could lead to increased carries for Miller in a game that USC is projected to handle from start to finish.

Add King Miller to your PrizePicks lineup now!

Make San Jose State vs. #14 USC Picks on PrizePicks

The Trojans will look to kick off their 2026 campaign with a statement victory against a San Jose State team that was ravaged by the transfer portal this offseason. USC is a 38.5-point favorite, and for good reason, as they have a massive leg up in every aspect on the field.

USC coach Lincoln Riley may be able to name his score this afternoon, which could lead to massive outputs from USC RB King Miller and tons of throws from SJSU QB Luke Weaver, who will look to keep up with the USC onslaught.

With the Jayden Maiava Guarantee Pick — 0.5 yards — on the board for this 3 p.m. ET game, it's a can't-miss showdown on the college football schedule today.

Don't wait until the 3 p.m. ET kickoff — make your San Jose State vs. USC pick on PrizePicks Team Picks. There are hundreds of player stat projections on the CFB board, so you can make predictions on yards, field goals, and more! Just pick your players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in on your predictions if you're right.

With Team Picks, you can make predictions on game winners, spreads, and over/unders, or combine them with your favorite Player Picks!

Keep it here with the Playbook for continued CFB picks, predictions, futures, and more as we jump into 2026.