Wk 1 · 2026
San José State Spartans at USC Trojans — Sat, Aug 29
Sat, Aug 29 ·
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
· NBC FINAL
Weather
No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
at
3:00pET
USC -37.5 · total 61.5 DraftKings opened -38.5 · 1 toward SJSU
Ratings differential USC by 21.7
What is at stake
A non-conference game. It moves both overall records but neither conference race. USC is ranked #14 (AP Top 25 · 2026-08-17).
What the ratings imply
The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers:
The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus
2.4 points of home field.
It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site
compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026
games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have
changed.
Efficiency · 2026 ratings
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College
King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so
the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a
longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the
good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so
neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.
Team stats · 2026 per game
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
San José St form
L 26-42at USC
2026 season
USC form
W 42-26vs SJSU
2026 season
San José St this season
Straight up0-1 · 0% (1 games)
Against the spread1-0 · 100% (1 games)
Over / under1-0 · 100% (1 games)
USC this season
Straight up1-0 · 100% (1 games)
Against the spread0-1 · 0% (1 games)
Over / under1-0 · 100% (1 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.
Common opponents · 1
Open these two in the
comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.
Series history · 2006–2026
Since 2006, USC leads 4–0 · USC has won the last 4
4 meetings
in 2006–2026 · average margin
30.0 points toward USC
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-08-29 | San José St 26 — 42 USC | at USC | USC |
| 2023 | 2023-08-26 | San José St 28 — 56 USC | at USC | USC |
| 2021 | 2021-09-04 | San José St 7 — 30 USC | at USC | USC |
| 2009 | 2009-09-05 | San José St 3 — 56 USC | at USC | USC |
San José St leaders 2025 regular season
| Passing | Walker Eget QB #2 | 232/393, 3047 YDS, 17 TD, 9 INT |
| Tama Amisone WR #7 | 26/50, 205 YDS, 3 INT | |
| Rushing | Steve Chavez-Soto RB #25 | 87 CAR, 448 YDS, 7 TD |
| Lamar Radcliffe RB #2 | 66 CAR, 340 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Jabari Bates RB #6 | 27 CAR, 192 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Danny Scudero WR #18 | 88 REC, 1291 YDS, 10 TD |
| Kyri Shoels WR #0 | 59 REC, 768 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Leland Smith WR #0 | 43 REC, 688 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Jackson Canaan TE #85 | 33 REC, 317 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Jordan Pollard LB #1 | 108 |
| Taniela Latu LB #4 | 65 | |
| Noah McNeal-Franklin LB #9 | 63 | |
| Sacks | Vili Taufatofua DL #45 | 4 |
| Jordan Pollard LB #1 | 2.5 | |
| Gafa Faga DL #50 | 2.5 | |
| Interceptions | Jalen Bainer CB #15 | 3 |
| Larry Turner-Gooden DB #8 | 1 | |
| Jalen Apalit-Williams DB #7 | 1 |
USC leaders 2025 regular season
| Passing | Jayden Maiava QB #14 | 247/373, 3431 YDS, 23 TD, 8 INT |
| Husan Longstreet QB #6 | 13/15, 103 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Rushing | King Miller RB #8 | 131 CAR, 873 YDS, 7 TD |
| Waymond Jordan RB #2 | 88 CAR, 576 YDS, 5 TD | |
| Eli Sanders RB #1 | 47 CAR, 264 YDS, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Makai Lemon WR #6 | 79 REC, 1156 YDS, 11 TD |
| Ja'Kobi Lane WR #8 | 49 REC, 745 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Lake McRee TE #87 | 30 REC, 450 YDS, 4 TD | |
| Tanook Hines WR #16 | 28 REC, 398 YDS, 2 TD |
Defense
| Tackles | Desman Stephens II LB #8 | 83 |
| Eric Gentry LB #18 | 76 | |
| Christian Pierce S #6 | 58 | |
| Sacks | Braylan Shelby DE #10 | 4.5 |
| Kameryn Crawford DE #1 | 3.5 | |
| Jide Abasiri DT #97 | 3.5 | |
| Interceptions | Bishop Fitzgerald S #19 | 5 |
| Jamaal Jarrett DT #99 | 1 | |
| Braylan Shelby DE #10 | 1 |
These are regular-season totals for
the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year,
taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's
roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still
appears against the year he earned it; the
roster
pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is.
A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster
pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.