USC vs. Rice college football preview, prediction

After a huge offseason that took up most of the headlines, USC is ready to finally kick off the Lincoln Riley era and get this program back into national college football relevance.

Southern Cal opens up against Rice in a chance to debut what should be one of the nation's most improved offenses behind a cast of elite transfers.

Here's what you need to know about the Week 1 season opener.

USC vs. Rice football preview, prediction

How to watch

When: Sat., Sept. 3

Time: 6 p.m. Eastern

TV: Pac-12 Network

Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)

USC vs. Rice odds, spread, line

Line: USC -32.5

O/U: 61.5

Moneyline: USC -10000 RICE +1800

FPI pick: USC 96.1%

USC vs. Rice: What to watch for

1. All those USC transfers. Finally, a look at this cast of characters on the same field. Most importantly 5-star quarterback Caleb Williams in tandem with Biletnikoff receiver Jordan Addison, who led college football with 17 TD catches last season. But it's not just Addison: Williams has Mario Williams, Terrell Bynum, and Brenden Rice as targets, too. Travis Dye comes over from Oregon to lead the backfield in addition to Austin Jones, in all a potent group of skill threats poised to make a dramatic first impression.

2. How USC's edge rush has progressed. The foundation of any modern defense is its ability to consistently get at the quarterback. That's something USC didn't do terribly well last season, finishing with just 21 sacks. Korey Foreman, a formidable 5-star recruit last year, needs to get more aggressive, and he'll have some major help in Auburn transfer Romello Height coming off the edge, both going against a Rice line with decent outside protection.

3. Rice will test USC's defense. Don't overlook the Owls, who were tied with Arkansas going into the 4th quarter of their game last season. Watch 5th year quarterback Wiley Green dealing to a group of receivers that can grind out yards on short and medium plays with pace, and aided by a backfield that has enough returning production to test USC's interior alignment.

What happens?

These early season matchups are pretty straightforward: the big favorite with all the flashy skill players gets up quick, builds the big lead, and then the backups take over sometime in the second half.

But it will be exciting to finally see this all-star transfer team finally get on the field in a competitive situation and see what they can do against an overmatched opponent.

That's been Lincoln Riley's expertise: putting together amazingly talented players and setting them loose. But the real thing holding USC back from College Football Playoff contention is this 89th ranked defense.

With the Trojans building an early lead, that will give Alex Grinch a chance to get aggressive and experiment with this unit to build a firm foundation going forward.

College Football HQ Prediction: USC 41, Rice 10

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