10 things to know on a loaded USC squad as the MW and Pac-12 arrive.
USC · San Jose State · Fresno State10 things to know on a loaded USC squad as the MW and Pac-12 arrive. This summer we dug into the Spartans, position group by position group and with the Mountain West’s exodus reshaping the region, MWCConnection now also tracks the new-look Pac-12.
Before USC opens Week 0 against San Jose State, then turns around and hosts Fresno State the following week in their new conference's debut, here is the outsider's primer on exactly what awaits both the Spartans and Bulldogs. The quarterback lining up across from the Spartans on August 29 is not the redshirt freshman SJSU fans remember from 2023.
KEY POINTS
- Jayden Maiava enters as a legitimate Heisman piece
- Lincoln Riley is out of patience for moral victories
- The offensive line is loaded, but there's some injury wrinkles
- The receiver room is the one place USC has real questions
- Gary Patterson now runs the defense
- USC checks in nationally ranked and buried in Playoff buzz
- The Coliseum has not seen a season opener loss since 1997
- The spread is one of the widest on the entire Week 0 board
- Week 0 is the appetizer, not the main course
- History says the Spartans have found Maiava before, just not in this uniform