SAN JOSE, Calif. - San José State football (0–0, 0–0 Mountain West) heads to Los Angeles to take on No. 14 USC (0–0, 0–0 Big Ten) on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. on NBC and the Spartans Sports Media Network.
This marks the Spartans’ first appearance on NBC, and it's the fourth season in a row they've been on one of the "big four" networks.
Listen to KNBR (104.5 FM/680 AM) every Thursday at 6:30 a.m. for the Coach Ken Show with Murph & Markus presented by Provident Credit Union.
Purchase MW+ for six SJSU football games this season. MW+ offers annual ($79.99/year) and monthly ($10.99/month) options for flexibility. Fans who subscribe by September 30 can get 15% off annual subscriptions using the promo code WELCOME15.
SEASON TICKETS | 2026 SCHEDULE
- SJSU heads to USC for the first time since week-zero on August 26, 2023. This is also the Spartans' first week-zero game since then.
- SJSU is 5-2 in their last seven season openers, and this is only the second time in the last 10 seasons the Spartans have opened their season on the road (at No. 6 USC, 08/26/23).
- The Spartans are 2-7 all-time against Big Ten teams, and this is their first game against a Big Ten team since Sept. 20, 2014 (at Minnesota).
- SJSU last beat a Big Ten team on Sept. 21, 2002, at Illinois, in a 38-35 victory.
- Head football coach Ken Niumatalolo is 2-4 against Big Ten teams with wins over Indiana in 2012 and 2013, when he was at the Naval Academy.
- The Spartans’ last win over a "Power Four" school was in 2024 against Stanford in a 34-31 home victory, and their last road win over a "Power Four" school was at Arkansas on Sept. 21, 2019, in a 31-24 win. The Spartans beat "Pac-2" opponent Oregon State on the road on Nov. 9, 2024, in a 24-13 win.
- The Spartans’ highest-ranked win was defeating No. 9 TCU at home 27-24 on Nov. 4, 2000.
- The Spartans last beat a road-ranked team on Nov. 1, 1980, in a 30-22 win over No. 10/11 Baylor.
- SJSU has three road-ranked wins in its history, including a 36-34 victory at No. 18 Stanford on Sept. 27, 1975.
- This is the first season since the Spartans won the 2020 Mountain West Championship that they don't have a member from that team.
- The Spartans are the only current Mountain West school to have won a Mountain West football championship.
- Since 2020, the Spartans are 36-34 (.514), which is good for a tie for second-best with UNLV, out of Mountain West returning teams. Only Air Force (.594) has a better winning percentage over that time from returning Mountain West schools.
- In the Spartans' three wins in 2025, SJSU averaged 174.3 rushing yards and 335.7 passing yards and a +4 turnover margin.
- The Spartans have 102 players on their roster. In 2025, they had 104 on the roster to start the season.
- Out of the 102 players on their roster, only 51 started their careers at SJSU, including 16 true freshmen this season, and 54 of the 102 have played in a game for an FBS school.
- The Spartans also have 54 returning players and 48 new players. In 2024, they had 53 returning players, and in 2025, they had 66 return.
- The Spartans lost 23 players to graduation from 2025.
- The Spartans have 33 transfers. In 2024, they had 29 total transfers, and in 2025, they had 22 transfers.
- Out of 33 transfers the Spartans brought in for the 2026 season, eight came from "Power Four" schools, and the Spartans lost eight to "Power Four" schools, including three wide receivers, this past offseason.
- In 2025, the Spartans brought in nine transfers from “Power Four” schools.
- SJSU returns two offensive players (Tyler Chen, Joseph Harbert) who started six or more games last season, while defensively, only one started (Ethan Powell) six or more games last season for the Spartans.
- The Spartans have 79 players from California, five from Hawai‘i, five from Utah, three from Arizona and Nevada, plus two from Washington, and one from Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and New Zealand.
- SJSU has 31 players in their third or more seasons at SJSU, with nine of them in their fifth season (2022). Only 17 remain from the 2023 team, which was the last team before Coach Niumatalolo arrived.
- This is the first 13-game regular season for the Spartans since 2017 and the first time since 2024 that the Spartans will host seven home games, and only the second time since 2006.
- The Spartans are the only school in the country taking advantage of the "Hawai‘i Exemption" rule to play 13 regular-season games. Nevada did this in 2024; nobody did this in 2025.
- SJSU has also been to four bowl games over the last six seasons, which is the most bowl games in six seasons in SJSU history.
- The Spartans only allowed 13 sacks last season, the fewest in the Mountain West and the 10th fewest in the country.
- Niumatalolo is ninth in FBS active head coaches' wins with 119.
- Niumatalolo has the most wins ever by a Polynesian head coach and is one of three current Polynesian FBS head coaches, along with BYU's Kalani Sitake and Hawai‘i's Timmy Chang.
- Under Niumatalolo, the Spartans have played 14 true freshmen and two redshirt freshmen.
- Seven of the 15 losses in the Niumatalolo era have been by seven points or less, and four by two points or less. The Spartans have led in 10 of those 15 games.
- SJSU led in the fourth quarter in four of their nine losses last season and led in eight of their 12 games overall.
- Since 2020, the Spartans have 36 wins, including 25 conference wins, four bowl appearances, and one Mountain West Championship.
- SJSU and NDSU are the only Mountain West schools playing every Mountain West school this season. The Spartans are hosting NDSU in a Week 12 non-conference game.
- This is the sixth straight season the Spartans will host a Friday contest at CEFCU Stadium, and the third consecutive year playing three Friday games overall.
- It also marks the fifth time in the last six seasons that SJSU will conclude the regular season at home.
NEXT GAME: The Spartans head to Eastern Michigan on Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m. (PT) on ESPN+, and tickets can be purchased here.
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