USC football opened the 2024 college football season with a massive victory over No. 13 LSU in Week 1.

The Trojans were led by redshirt junior Miller Moss, who was starting his second career game and taking over for former No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, who completed 27-for-36 passes for 378 yards and a touchdown in the 27-20 victory over the SEC foe. Woody Marks scored the go-ahead touchdown with 13 seconds left following a targeting call against LSU.

Following the victory, USC jumped nine spots in the weekly US LBM Coaches Poll from No. 23 to No. 14. The Trojans will host Utah State in their home opener on Saturday. The Aggies are coming off a 36-14 victory over Robert Morris behind a 198-yard, three-touchdown passing performance from quarterback Bryson Barnes. Barnes also added 88 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Watch USC football vs. Utah State live (free trial)

The Trojans lead the all-time series with the Aggies 6-0. The last matchup between the programs was a 45-7 Trojans victory on Sept. 10, 2016, at the L.A. Coliseum. The closest matchup in the series occurred on Sept. 21, 2013, a 17-4 win for USC.

Here’s how to watch USC football take on Utah State, including kickoff time, TV channel, streaming options and more:

What channel is USC vs Utah State on today?

The Trojans and Aggies will face off in a nationally televised matchup on the Big Ten Network. Guy Haberman (play-by-play) and Yogi Roth (analyst) will be on the call, while Rhett Lewis will be the sideline reporter. The game can also be streamed on Fubo, which offers potential subscribers a free trial.

USC vs Utah State time today

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 7

• Start time: 11 p.m. ET

The USC vs. Utah State game starts at 11 p.m. ET Saturday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

USC vs Utah State predictions, picks, odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Thursday, Sept. 5.

Utah State football schedule 2024

Here’s a full look at the Aggies’ 2024 schedule, including available start times and TV channel information:

All times Eastern.

• Saturday, Aug. 31: vs. Robert Morris (W, 36-14)

• Saturday, Sept. 7: at No. 14 USC | 11 p.m. | Big Ten Network (Fubo)

• Saturday, Sept. 14: vs. No. 11 Utah | 4 p.m. | CBS Sports (Fubo) and Paramount+

• Saturday, Sept. 21: at Temple

• Saturday, Sept. 28: BYE

• Saturday, Oct. 5: at Boise State* | FOX | (Fubo)

• Friday, Oct. 11: vs. UNLV* | 9 p.m. | CBS Sports (Fubo) and Paramount+

• Saturday, Oct. 19: vs. New Mexico* | truTV (Fubo)

• Saturday, Oct. 26: at Wyoming* | 7 p.m. | CBS Sports (Fubo) and Paramount+

• Saturday, Nov. 2: BYE

• Saturday, Nov. 9: at Washington State* | The CW Network (Fubo)

• Saturday, Nov. 16: vs. Hawaii* | 3 p.m.

• Saturday, Nov. 23: vs. San Diego State* | 3:30 p.m. | CBS Sports (Fubo) and Paramount+

• Friday, Nov. 29: at Colorado State | FS1 (Fubo)

• Record: 1-0

* denotes Mountain West game

USC football schedule 2024

Here’s a full look at the Trojans’ 2024 schedule, including available start times and TV channel information:

All times Eastern.

• Sunday, Sept. 1: vs. No. 12 LSU (Las Vegas) (W, 27-20)

• Saturday, Sept. 7: vs. Utah State | 11 p.m. | Big Ten Network (Fubo)

• Saturday, Sept. 14: BYE

• Saturday, Sept. 21: at No. 10 Michigan* | 3:30 p.m. | CBS (Fubo) and Paramount+

• Saturday, Sept. 28: vs. Wisconsin*

• Saturday, Oct. 5: at Minnesota*

• Saturday, Oct. 12: vs. No. 8 Penn State*

• Saturday, Oct. 19: at Maryland*

• Saturday, Oct. 25: vs. Rutgers* | 11 p.m. | Fox (Fubo)

• Saturday, Nov. 2: at Washington*

• Saturday, Nov. 9: BYE

• Saturday, Nov. 16: vs. Nebraska*

• Saturday, Nov. 23: at UCLA*

• Saturday, Nov. 30: vs. No. 5 Notre Dame

* denotes Big Ten game

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USC vs Utah State channel today, time, TV schedule, streaming info

Utah State (1-0, 0-0 MWC) at No. 13 USC (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten)

• Kickoff: Saturday, 9 p.m. MDT
• Venue: LA Memorial Coliseum
• TV: Big Ten Network
• Radio: KZNS 1280 The Zone
• Series: USC holds a 6-0 advantage over USU all-time. The most recent game — played in 2016 — was a 45-7 win for the Trojans.
• Weather: Clear skies with temperatures in the low 80s at kickoff.

The trends

For Utah State: The Aggies are 1-0 following a 36-14 win over Robert Morris in their season opener. Utah State started slowly against the Colonials but rallied from a first-half deficit for a convincing win. USU finished with 646 yards of total offense — 343 passing and 303 rushing — which was tied for the ninth-most yards in school history.

For USC: The Trojans are 1-0 following a thrilling 27-20 win over LSU in Las Vegas. USC, now ranked No. 13 in the country, was led by quarterback Miller Moss who threw for nearly 400 yards (378) and a touchdown, completing 75% of his pass attempts. More importantly, the Trojans appear to have discovered defense again, under new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. USC held LSU to 421 total yards of offense, including only 117 rushing yards.

What to watch for

Self-inflicted wounds.

If there was one thing the Aggies struggled with against Robert Morris it was correctable mistakes.

USU turned the ball over three times — all interceptions — and all three were preventable. The first, a Spencer Petras interception, was the result of wide receiver Jalen Royals falling on a timed route. The second, another Petras interception, happened when a Robert Morris defensive back jumped a route, with USU wide receiver Otto Tia a little slow to get to the spot. The third and final turnover, an interception by backup quarterback Bryson Barnes, came on an aggressive heave just before halftime.

It wasn’t just turnovers, though.

The Aggies were also highly penalized, many of those coming at inopportune times. USU finished with 10 penalties for 105 yards and had multiple promising offensive drives cut short by holding along the offensive line.

Then there were the big plays allowed by the defense.

On the whole, USU was much improved defensively in its season opener, as compared to the end of the 2023 season. USU shut out Robert Morris in the second half, limited the Colonials to only 362 total yards of offense and held RMU to an average of 4.9 yards per carry and 7.8 yards per reception.

Where the Aggies messed up was only a few key sequences. A play action pass in which a cornerback lost sight of a tight end. A screen pass where multiple Aggie defenders took poor angles and missed tackles as a result.

Those miscues, plus a couple more, were why Robert Morris put any points on the board at all.

Clean up those three areas — turnovers, penalties and big plays allowed on defense — and the Aggies go from a team that struggled, briefly, with an FCS opponent to the kind of team that could be a threat to just about anyone.

Of course, USC isn’t just anyone. The Trojans are one of the more talented teams in the country — ranked in the top 15 by 247 Sports — and with the defense appearing dramatically improved, USC will be a significant challenge.

Key player

Zachariah Branch, USC wide receiver: The Trojans have no shortage of skill position players that can make a real impact, but chief among them may be Branch. Not only for his skills as a receiver, but also for his impact as a punt/kick returner.

There may not be a better returner in the country than Branch, who was a first-team All-American as a true freshman in 2023 (returner specialist), the first in USC history. The numbers speak for themselves.

As USC’s return specialist, he recorded 442 yards on 24 kickoff returns (18.4 avg.) with a long of 96 yards and a touchdown. He also recorded 332 yards on 16 punt returns (30.8 avg.) with a long of 75 yards, with another touchdown.

Branch is the type of player who could break the game open with a single run, making it all the more important that the Aggies — especially punter Stephen Kotsanlee — keep the ball out of his hands.

“That is (our) No. 1 priority, right? That is probably the fastest player in the country,” USU interim head coach Nate Dreiling said. We need Elliott Nimrod on kickoffs to be booting it like he was (against Robert Morris). Making sure that ball is out of the end zone and they can’t return it. And then Stephen and the rest of the punt team needs to be on point. He (Branch) is such a phenomenal player and they do a good job, not just on special teams. When the defense is on the field you have to eliminate his touches. He can take (one) whenever he wants). We have to be on point.”

Quotable

“I think it is never about your opponent. Whether you are playing Auburn, or SC or the Dallas Cowboys. As long as you are getting better and are focusing on what you have to do to be successful you’ll always have a chance. We need to slow the game down a little bit, capitalize on some turnovers and force them into some bad throws. Ultimately if we have the right mindset we’ll be fine. I’m looking forward to the world seeing what type of team is going to come out and be resilient. It just has to be the second-half team we saw. We don’t have time to do the first half deal, we have to come out swinging.” — Utah State coach Nate Dreiling.

“They’ve obviously had some coaching changes and turnover but looked like they handled that well and really settled in and played a good first game, especially in the second half. … (Bryson Barnes is a) really good player. Obviously we know. Got to see him last year. They (Utah State) have some really good skill position kids around him. Were very productive offensively in their first game.” — USC coach Lincoln Riley.

Next up

Utah State: vs No. 11 Utah; USC: at Michigan

Utah State schedule

• Aug. 31: Utah State 36, Robert Morris 14
• Sept. 7: at USC (9 p.m., Big Ten Network)
• Sept. 14: Utah (2:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
• Sept. 21: at Temple (TBA)
• Sept. 28: Bye
• Oct. 5: at Boise State (TBA)
• Oct. 11: UNLV (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
• Oct. 19: New Mexico (2 p.m., TruTV)
• Oct. 26: at Wyoming (5 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
• Nov. 2: Bye
• Nov. 9: at Washington State (TBA)
• Nov. 16: Hawaii (1 p.m., Spectrum Sports)
• Nov. 23: San Diego State (1:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
• Nov. 29: at Colorado State (TBA)

All times Mountain Time zone.

Nine years ago, Baylor and Utah announced a home-and-home football series.

How times have changed since then.

Back in the spring of 2015, when the series was agreed to, Utah was in its third year of Pac-12 Conference membership and starting to find its footing in the Power Five league after posting a 9-4 record in 2014. Baylor, meanwhile, was coming off of back-to-back 11-win seasons and back-to-back Big 12 championships.

Now, after the collapse of the Pac-12, the two teams are both in the Big 12.

When the Utes officially accepted their invite to the Big 12 in August of last year, athletic director Mark Harlan had an issue on his hands. Two of the three teams on Utah’s nonconference schedule — Baylor and BYU — were now conference-mates. Football schedules fill up fast, with schools booking nonleague games out a decade or more, so Harlan had to scramble to make sure Utah had a full slate of games.

The Big 12 definitely wanted the 2024 edition of the Utah-BYU rivalry — which was on the schedule as a nonconference contest — to be a conference affair. That left Utah with an opening, which the Utes filled by agreeing to a two-and-one series with Utah State (two home games, one away game). The Utes are set to head north to Maverik Stadium this fall for the first time since 2012.

Because of how tough it would have been to find two nonleague opponents in less than a year, Utah and Baylor elected to keep the matchup as a nonconference game, which means the Utes effectively play 10 Big 12 games this season — though only nine count for the conference standings.

“It is a unique situation,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “… Who knew that things would shape up as they have?”

Utah-Baylor game preview

A season ago, the Bears and Utes met for the first time in sweltering Waco, Texas, where field conditions reached 130 degrees.

Both offenses, which ended the year ranked near the bottom of FBS, sputtered and couldn’t get going until Nate Johnson led the Utes on a 15-play, 88-yard drive to tie the game with two minutes remaining. After a Cole Bishop interception on the next Baylor possession, Jaylon Glover scored the go-ahead touchdown and Utah escaped Waco with a 20-13 win.

While nothing is guaranteed in sports, Saturday’s return game at Rice-Eccles Stadium game should be markedly different than last year’s offensive slog.

Both teams have different quarterbacks than the last time they met — the return of Cam Rising for Utah and new transfer quarterback Dequan Finn for Baylor.

The two signal-callers have a few things in common. Both are transfer quarterbacks (Rising transferred from Texas ahead of the 2019 season and Finn transferred from Toledo ahead of the 2024 season), both are veterans (Rising’s first year was in 2018, while Finn’s first season was in 2019), and both like to use their legs to their advantage.

Utah has had issues corralling dual-threat quarterbacks in the past — UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and USC’s Caleb Williams (though the Utes did better against Williams in their last two matchups) come to mind.

“Hit ‘em, hard, when they run the ball,” Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley joked when asked what the Utes need to do to defend a running quarterback. “You got to have eyes on them. So if you’re going to add a guy in the box, you add a guy in the box, or you create pressure to fool the QB, there’s different things that you can do. Bottom line, it’s playing assignment-sound, disciplined football.”

Finn thus far looks to be an improvement over Blake Shapen, and did well enough in the Bears’ 45-3 opening win over Tarleton State. The former MAC Player of the Year threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns on 64% accuracy, but had two interceptions. Finn also had a 39-yard touchdown run on the first drive of the game, showcasing his dual-threat ability.

After last year’s woes, Baylor brought in a new offensive coordinator to replace Jeff Grimes, and it’s a familiar name for Scalley — former Cal OC Jake Spavital.

Spavital brings an up-tempo offense to Baylor.

“They’re a tempo team that you’ve got to get off schedule,” Scalley said.

“They get lined up quick, they’re assignment-sound. Their technique is really good, their wide receivers do a great job of getting hands on them, blocking. They’re physical. For us, it’s matching that tempo, we’re trying to match that tempo in practice, make sure we’re getting lined up quick, that we’re playing assignment-sound.”

Finn has plenty of weapons to throw to, including Biletnikoff Award watch list member Ashtyn Hawkins, Ketron Jackson Jr. and Monaray Baldwin.

The question mark for the Bears after their first game is up front with a revamped offensive line who didn’t wow against Tarleton State and who will be facing a Utah front that prides itself on its physicality. They’ll block for running back Richard Reese, who started his season on the right foot with 78 rushing yards on Saturday.

Defensively, the Bears needed a shakeup after a 3-9 season last season, and head coach Dave Aranda, who was the defensive coordinator for LSU’s 2019 national championship season, took over defensive play-calling duties this season.

So far, so good for Aranda’s defense, which is betting on the growth of their players after last season and didn’t bring in a ton of transfer starters. The Bears held Tarleton State to just 181 yards, but the competition goes up several notches against Rising and the Utes.

Matt Jones and Keaton Thomas, who had a pick six last Saturday, are a formidable duo at linebacker, and the No. 1 goal for Baylor’s defense is going to be to try and get Rising out of the pocket early and often. Whittingham gave the Utes’ offensive line a “B+” grade against Southern Utah, and Utah needs a little more from its tackles against Baylor, both to protect Rising and also to get the run game going, which is what Whittingham wants to see on Saturday.

While Baylor should take a step forward this season, it’s still going to be a big task for the 14.5-point underdog to upset the Utes at home on Saturday.