Fresno State Bulldogs vs USC Trojans Prediction, 9/4/2026 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Fresno State Bulldogs vs USC Trojans

Date: Friday, September 4, 2026

Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA

TV: FOX

Odds/Point Spread: Trojans (-22.5)

Total/Over-Under: 51.5

The USC Trojans (9-4 last year) are welcoming the Fresno State Bulldogs (9-4 last season) at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Friday, September 4, 2026. USC opens this matchup as 22.5-point favorites from oddsmakers. The betting total is set at 51.5.

The Fresno State Bulldogs finished the year holding a 9-4 record. In their last contest, the Bulldogs faced off with the Miami RedHawks and earned the victory with a final of 18-3. When the final whistle blew, they had 71 plays for 396 yds. The Fresno State Bulldogs ended up rushing 49 times and recorded 177 yards, which came out to an average of 3.6 yards per tote. Against the run, the Bulldogs conceded 120 yds on 26 attempts, which is 4.6 yds per run allowed. Fresno State relinquished 6 pass completions on 22 tries for a total of 72 yards, and a completion rate of 27.3%.

Regarding putting points on the board, the Fresno State Bulldogs were sitting at 25.8 PPG. As a unit they had an average of 170.5 yards rushing, ranking them 54th in the nation. The Bulldogs earned 4,599 yards in total for the prior season. Fresno State earned 14 passing touchdowns and 22 rushing touchdowns. Fresno State amassed 246 1st downs as a team, and they were called for 86 infractions for 788 yds. They turned the football over 20 different times.

The Bulldogs were ranked 16th in the nation regarding team defense, allowing 18.8 points per game. The opposition ran for an average of 4.1 yards per running attempt and 131.9 yards on the ground per contest last season. During the campaign, they allowed 1,715 rushing yards through 13 games. Concerning passing yards, the Bulldogs conceded 1,999 yds which ranked them 2nd in college football. In their 13 games played last year, they allowed 153.8 yards per game through the air as well as surrendering a completion percentage of 53.7%. They gave up 285.7 yards per outing which put them 10th in college football. They gave up 18 passing touchdowns as well as 9 running touchdowns.

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The Trojans ended the year with a 9-4 record. In their last game, the Trojans walked away with a victory by a final of 42-26 against the San Jose State Spartans. USC allowed 24 rush attempts for 102 yards (4.3 yards per rush). The Trojans pass defense gave up a completion rate of 65.6%, surrendering 234 yards on 21 for 32 through the air. The Trojans finished the contest with 505 yards while they ran 76 plays (6.6 yds per play). USC ran the football for 4.1 yds per attempt, totaling 164 yds on 40 carries.

The USC Trojans averaged 465.5 yards per game, ranking them 8th in college football. The USC offense had 720 yards of penalties on 78 violations, ranking them 64th in Division 1 in terms of giving up free yards. They had an average of 169.5 rushing yards per game and ran for 2,204 yards for the year. They gave away 10 picks while allowing opponents to recover 7 fumbles and they recorded 308 1st downs. Regarding their scoring prowess, the Trojans ranked 13th in Division 1 with an average of 35.8 PPG. For the prior season, the Trojans had a total of 3,848 passing yards as well as averaging 296.0 passing yards per game, ranking them 5th in college football.

USC allowed a total of 1,862 yards on the ground (143.2 yards per contest) as well as 16 touchdowns by way of the ground game throughout last year. They allowed 22 touchdowns through the air in addition to 207.5 yards per contest, which had them in 47th in D-1. Last year, they relinquished 299 total points. Their defense compiled 7 fumbles recovered and 12 picks last year. The Trojans defense took the field for 822 plays, which ranked them 51st in Division 1. The Trojans conceded 23.0 points per game, which had them ranked 51st in college football.

Who will win tonight's Bulldogs/Trojans college football game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Bulldogs +22.5

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