No. 12 USC visits Rutgers on Saturday, September 19 at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS, a Big Ten game that sends the Trojans across the country to Piscataway. USC is unbeaten and ranked; Rutgers has already lost twice at home.
Odds and Spread
USC -7.5
| Sportsbook | USC spread | Rutgers spread | Total | USC ML | Rutgers ML |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FanDuel | -7.5 (+210) | +7.5 (-300) | |||
| DraftKings | -7.5 (+202) | +7.5 (-275) | |||
| BetMGM | -7.5 (+750) | +7.5 (-1400) | |||
| Fanatics | -7.5 (+225) | +7.5 (-350) |
Lines from BALLDONTLIE and refreshed automatically. Numbers move, so confirm at your sportsbook before betting.
USC is a solid road favorite. The case for Rutgers is situational rather than about talent: a 3:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff is a 12:30 body clock start for a team that flew five time zones, and USC has a long record of struggling in exactly this spot. Lines move, so check your book.
Start Time, TV Channel and How to Watch
| Date | Saturday, September 19, 2026 |
| Kickoff | 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT |
| TV | CBS |
| Streaming | Paramount+, plus Fubo, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV and DirecTV Stream |
| Rankings | USC No. 12 in the AP Top 25, Rutgers unranked |
| Stadium | SHI Stadium, Piscataway, New Jersey |
How Both Teams Got Here
USC is 3-0. The Trojans beat San Jose State 42-26 in Week 0, Fresno State 39-0 in Week 1 and Louisiana 49-30 in Week 2. The offense has been productive throughout, though the Louisiana game was closer than the final margin suggests.
Rutgers is 0-3 and all three losses came at SHI Stadium: 37-21 to UMass to open, 28-21 to Boston College in Week 2. That UMass loss is one of the worst results any Big Ten team has had this season.
What to Watch
Whether USC treats this seriously. The Trojans have been road disaster specialists in the Big Ten era, and a 3:30 p.m. Eastern kickoff is effectively a 12:30 p.m. body clock start for a team that flew five time zones. That is the entire Rutgers case, and it is not nothing.
For Rutgers, the problem is that the defense has not stopped anyone. Giving up 37 to UMass at home is not a scheme problem you fix in two weeks, and USC’s offense is far better than anything the Scarlet Knights have faced. Rutgers needs this to be a possession game into the fourth quarter, which means winning the turnover battle outright.
Related
Jayden Maiava · USC football score · Big Ten standings · AP Top 25 · College football scores
The Bottom Line
No. 12 USC at Rutgers kicks off Saturday, September 19 at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS from SHI Stadium in Piscataway, streaming on Paramount+. USC is 3-0, Rutgers is 0-3 with three home losses, and the only real question is whether the cross country trip makes it interesting. The live odds table above updates automatically.