The San Jose State Spartans will march to Los Angeles Coliseum to face No. 15 USC Trojans in what seems to be an intriguing battle. Will the Spartans steal a huge win? Or will the Trojans deal San Jose State its first loss of the season? Check out our preview of this matchup below.
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Betting Preview for the San Jose State Spartans vs USC Trojans NCAA Week 1 College Football Game on September 4, 2021
Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles
When: Saturday, September 4, 2021, 5:00 PM ET
Line: San Jose State Spartans (+14) vs. USC Trojans (-14) – view all 2020 NCAAF lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the San Jose State Spartans (+14)
Record: 1-0 Overall / 0-0 Conference
San Jose State kicked off their 2021 college football campaign with a huge 45-14 demolition job of a win over the Southern Utah Thunderbirds last weekend. Quarterback Nick Starkel racked up 394 passing yards and four touchdowns with an interception while completing 16/27 passes. One of the items San Jose State needs to check to have a solid season is a better play on the ground. In 2020, the Spartans were just 90th in the nation with 134.1 rushing yards per game. But it’s more because the Spartans opted to rely less on their ground attack compared to other teams, as they were only 119th in the nation with a 43.62 rush play percentage. They still did not rush a lot in their win over Southern Utah, but San Jose State picked up 133 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. The rushing attack efficiency is there for San Jose State to keep USC’s defense on its toes.
San Jose State is 7-2-1 against the spread in its last 10 games overall.
Betting on the USC Trojans (-14)
Record: 0-0 Overall / 0-0 Conference
The Trojans went 5-0 in 2020 before losing to the Oregon Ducks in the championship game over in the Pac-12. And that could be additional fuel for USC, heading into its first game of the 2021 college football season. Back under center for the Trojans is Keldon Slovis, who had 1,921 passing yards and 17 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 2020. Slovis will have a fantastic weapon downfield in Drake London, who’s being hyped as among the best receivers this season. Last year, London averaged 15.2 yards per catch on his way to getting 502 receiving yards and three touchdowns. With Amon-Ra St. Brown now gone, London should have a big increase in targets. Slovis and London can have a field day against San Jose State’s defense that may have limited Southern Utah to just 250 yards but failed to force a turnover. Conversely, USC’s defense could be trouble for the Spartans, who had two giveaways in the Thunderbirds game. USC was second nationally in 2020 with 2.7 takeaways per game.
USC is 3-1 against the spread in its last four games overall.
Writer’s Prediction
USC wins, 38-21.
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