College football is officially back, and after a long offseason, we finally have a full season of Saturdays and betting opportunities ahead of us.
We’re opening the year with two West Coast matchups, beginning at the Coliseum as No. 14 USC hosts San Jose State before Stanford and Hawaii take over the evening window.
There will be plenty of time to settle into the season. Today, we’re coming out firing with two bets to kick off another year of college football. Let’s cash some tickets.
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First Pick: USC -38 over San Jose State
Rundown: There aren’t many spots where I’d be willing to give away 38 points, but the gap between these rosters is difficult to ignore.
USC brings Jayden Maiava back after he threw for 3,711 yards and 24 touchdowns while leading the nation with a 91.2 QBR. The Trojans also finished eighth nationally in total offense and fifth in passing offense, giving them more than enough firepower to run up the score.
San Jose State is coming off a 3-9 season and has only three returning players who started more than six games last year. New quarterback Luke Weaver showed some promise at Hawaii, but he appeared in just five games, and making his Spartans debut at the Coliseum is a difficult assignment.
USC is 6-0 all-time against San Jose State and scored 73 points in last season’s opener. The Trojans have also beaten four of their five Group of Six opponents since 2023 by at least 39 points, and I’m trusting them to deliver another blowout here.
Second Pick: Hawaii +4 over Stanford
Diego Rivera - The Sporting Tribune
The University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors celebrate linebacker Jalen Smith's (3) fumble recovery during an NCAA football game against the Utah State Aggies, Saturday, October 11, 2025.
Rundown: Getting four points with a Hawaii team that won this matchup outright last season is too much value for me to pass up.
Micah Alejado is coming off a season in which he threw for 3,106 yards and a Mountain West-best 24 touchdowns. He also accounted for 210 yards and two scores through the air in last year’s win over Stanford, and now gets another shot at a Cardinal defense that allowed an FBS-worst 288.9 passing yards per game.
Stanford is beginning the Tavita Pritchard era with Michigan transfer Davis Warren at quarterback. Warren missed all of last season after tearing his ACL and threw seven touchdowns against nine interceptions the last time he played, so it could take time for this new offense to come together.
Hawaii has the better quarterback and a clear way to attack Stanford’s biggest weakness. The Rainbow Warriors don’t need to win this matchup again to cash our ticket, but I believe they are more than capable of doing exactly that.