What time is Rutgers football vs. USC? TV, prediction for Week 3 game

Rutgers football has lost two straight games to start the season, and keeping that streak from extending to three games will require the Scarlet Knights solving a lot of issues that have held them back so far.

After losing to UMass and Boston College to start the season, Greg Schiano’s team will host No. 11 USC on Saturday, Sept. 19 at SHI Stadium in Week 3 of the college football season. USC is a 24 1/2-point favorite.

It’s unclear who will start at quarterback for Rutgers – AJ Surace started against BC after Dylan Lonergan suffered an injury against UMass.

Whether Schiano goes back to Lonergan against USC (assuming he’s healthy) or sticks with Surace again remain to be seen.

Neither QB has played well – Lonergan threw three interceptions against UMass and Surace threw four against Boston College.

The instability at quarterback is one of many issues that have hurt Rutgers so far.

The defense was terrible in the opener and got off to a slow start against BC before improving in the second half.

Rutgers needs a far better performance against the Trojans – from both its defense and quarterback.

The Scarlet Knights last played USC in 2024 on the road and lost 42-20.

It’s hard to be too optimistic that this year’s version will be much closer than that.

Rutgers football schedule: Scarlet Knights' next game

Rutgers hosts USC on Saturday, Sept. 19 at SHI Stadium in their Week 3 game.

What time is Rutgers vs. USC?

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

What channel is Rutgers vs. USC?

The game will be televised on CBS.

Watch Rutgers vs. USC live on Fubo (free trial for new subscribers)

Rutgers vs. USC point spread

USC is a 23.5-point road favorite, according to Vegas Insider.

Rutgers vs. USC prediction

Rutgers wasn't able to beat UMass. It wasn't able to beat Boston College. There's absolutely no reason to think the Scarlet Knights will be able to beat USC. The Trojans' offense is going to be too much for Rutgers' defense to handle. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava has completed 80.72 percent of his passes through three games, and the Trojans are averaging 43.3 points per game and 513.3 yards per game. USC's defense is giving up 270 total yards per game. Now some of that has to do with the level of the Trojans' opponents (San Jose State, Fresno State and Louisiana), but USC is still solid on that side of the ball. If Rutgers is going to have any chance at pulling off a major upset, its defense needs to play much, much better than it has been. And right now there's no evidence to think that will be the case.

Prediction: USC 49, Rutgers 17

Rutgers vs. USC tickets

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This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: What time is Rutgers football vs. USC? TV, prediction for Week 3 game