Week 0 College Football Favorite Bet

College football is back, and one team on a mission this year is the USC Trojans. 

USC opens the season as the No. 6 team overall and are desperately trying to make their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. As a team with 11 national championships, including two back-to-back in 2003 & 2004, their proud history demands sustained greatness. Saturday, the Trojans open as 30.5-point home favorites over San Jose State.

Let’s take a look at how we should bet on tonight’s battle in Los Angeles. 

USC vs. San Jose Sate

USC -30.5 (-115, FanDuel Sportsbook)
Over/Under: 66.5 (-110, DraftKings Sportsbook)

San Jose State has improved over the past few seasons, finishing with just their second winning season since 2012 in the Mountain West conference. They qualified for the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl but lost to Eastern Michigan 41-27. 

The Spartans have a tall order against a USC program that is highly motivated this season. USC was likely in the College Football Playoff last season if they had simply beaten Utah in the Pac-12 title game. However, a 47-24 blowout loss to the Utes translated into a Cotton Bowl consolation prize, which the Trojans actually lost to Tulane, 46-45. 

Head coach Lincoln Riley is fortunate to have quarterback and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams back under center. Williams posted 42 passing touchdowns and 52 total touchdowns along with 4,537 passing yards last season. He was the cog in leading the Trojans to their first double-digit win total since 2017. Williams only threw five interceptions, which indicates the Spartans will not have extra opportunities in tonight’s opener. USC’s offense was prolific all year, but especially early in the season. They registered 41 or more points in four of their first five games in 2022. 

Head coach Brent Brennan will need to find a creative game plan to stop this USC offensive attack. San Jose State lost three first-team All-Mountain West players on defense in DL Cade Hall, DE Viliami Fehoko, and LB Kyle Harmon. USC averaged 41.4 points per game last year, finishing third-best in the country. I do expect the Spartans offense to actually score points, as San Jose State quarterback Chevan Cordeiro is a complete dual-threat danger under center. The Spartans scored 27 or more points seven times last season. 

Last year, Cordeiro threw for 265 yards and nine touchdowns, while completing 60.8% of his passes for 3,250 yards. Cordeiro also threw 23 touchdowns and just six interceptions on the season. USC’s defense allowed 29.2 PPG last season, ranking just 81st in the nation. USC was very active in the transfer portal, bringing in several new defensive players. Will they be able to gel and limit a talented dual-threat quarterback like Cordeiro in Week 0? I have my doubts. 

I like the continuity of both offenses in this game, and see a shootout in Los Angeles in the opening game. Since San Jose State should score, I am backing USC to cover, along with the over on the game total at 66 points. 

The Pick

USC -30.5; Over 66.5 Points