USC vs. San Jose State odds, spread, lines: Week 0 college football picks, predictions by computer model

Picks and predictions for USC vs. San Jose State in the Week 0 college football opener as the Trojans take their first step towards playoff contention

It's finally here, after almost eight months of waiting around, the Week 0 college football schedule kicks things off on Saturday with a potential playoff contender in action to start, as USC welcomes San Jose State to the L.A. Coliseum.

Caleb Williams returns to lead the Trojans' lethal offense, with the reigning Heisman quarterback in position to make history as just the second player to win two of college football's highest personal honors, but the fate of this USC team will depend on how well its defense has improved from last season to this.

What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

USC vs. San Jose State picks, predictions

USC vs. San Jose State picks, predictions / USA Today Images

USC's chance of victory: Don't sweat this one out, Trojan fans. USC has the convincing 96.4 percent chance to win the game, according to the computer and its 20,000 simulations of how it will play out.

San Jose State's chance of victory: That leaves the visiting Spartans with a slim 3.6 percent shot to pull off the upset, per the computers.

Point spread: USC comes into the game as overwhelming 30.5 point favorites over San Jose State, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook.

Total: 64.5 points

Moneyline: USC -10000 | SJSU +1100

USC predictions: The Trojans come in at No. 7 on the power index 133 football rankings, projected to be 19.9 points better than an average opponent, to win 10.0 games on the season, and have a 22.2 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff.

San Jose State predictions: The Spartans check in at No. 100 on the power index poll, expected to be 7.9 points worse than an average opponent and projected to win 5.9 games this season.

How to watch, stream: The game is set for Sat., Aug. 26 at 5 p.m. Pacific time on the Pac-12 Network and streams live on fuboTV (Try for free).

College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

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College football rankings

According to AP top 25 poll

1. Georgia (60)
2. Michigan (2)
3. Ohio State (1)
4. Alabama
5. LSU
6. USC
7. Penn State
8. Florida State
9. Clemson
10. Washington
11. Texas
12. Tennessee
13. Notre Dame
14. Utah
15. Oregon
16. Kansas State
17. TCU
18. Oregon State
19. Wisconsin
20. Oklahoma
21. North Carolina
22. Ole Miss
23. Texas A&M
24. Tulane
25. Iowa

Related: AP top 25 preseason college football rankings

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