USC football vs Rice: Start time, TV channel and how to watch online

USC football plays Rice for the fourth time in history on Saturday, and it marks what will likely be a historic game. That's because it's the first game of the Lincoln Riley era for the Trojans. It's likely to be a fantastic era for the SC program, and it officially starts on September 3rd.

USC has never lost to Rice, and they've won two out of the three times. Those were the last two times they played: Once in 1948 and once in 1971. Both teams are coming off of 4-8 seasons, but only one is coming off of an offseason where they hired a top five coach in the country and reeled in two five-star transfers as well as five four-star transfers.

That would be USC, who comes in at No. 14 in the Preseason AP Top 25 Poll. Rice is of course unranked, as it's not the greatest look to go 4-8 in the CUSA and then not have an excellent offseason. The game is expected to be a blowout, and potentially give the bench a chance to be emptied in the second half.

The USC football game has a 3 p.m. PST start time.

The USC football game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network. Unfortunately the Pac-12 Network isn't always the most accessible, so to those fans who do not have it from their TV provider, or do not have cable, it is still possible to watch the game online. That can be done via a free trial to Fubo TV.

Enjoy the first game day for USC in nine months. And if attending the game, make sure to stay very hydrated and safe, as it's going to be scorching hot out there. This season will be fun to watch with Riley's high-flying offense in place, and it all begins on Saturday afternoon.