Saturday's night cap gives us an opportunity to get right after an up-and-down day. Simply put, USC enters this one needing a big win. Clay Helton needs it. JT Daniels need it. The fans need it. The Trojans had a huge influx of talent this offseason via transfer, not to mention a solid recruiting class. Their returning starters are more mature and have every opportunity to hum, particularly on offense where Graham Harrell steps in. My colleague Tom Fornelli solidified this pick by reminding me how young and inexperienced Fresno State will be after two great seasons. Let's roll with USC getting the job done in a big spot to open the season.

This is one of my favorite plays of opening weekend. Fresno State has won 22 games over the last two seasons, as Jeff Tedford has turned the program around. Meanwhile, everybody's down on USC. Well, all the players that helped Fresno win 22 games the last two years are gone. This is almost an entirely new team, and it's opening the season on the road against a more talented USC team. Yes, USC only won 5 games last year, but people are just ignoring that it won 21 games itself the prior two seasons. The Trojans roll.

Fresno State went 12-2 last season, while USC went 5-7. But the big difference in this game is the returning talent, especially on offense where Fresno State its their starting QB, four of five offensive linemen and leading receiver. USC brings back sophomore quarterback JT Daniels and his top three receivers, which should produce plenty of deep strikes. I'm looking for USC to get out of the gate quickly and get the cover.