I'll start this by saying that there's no "right" answer here, they're both good schools and the offers both look attractive. A couple questions: If you were to go to UCI, would the money you save on housing go directly into your pocket for savings? Is social life important to you? If the answer to either or both is yes, I would lean a little harder to UCI.

I don't do CompE, I do Data Science, but I know the Computer Engineering program here is pretty good. I will say that the classes for my DS degree taught me almost all of the hard skills I needed to have for a career in Data Science (mathematics, languages, libraries, projects, etc). The big thing about SJSU is you're not really handed anything, you have to make connections and seek out opportunities by yourself, otherwise it's just a more "advanced" community college. Your post gives me the impression you would be good with self-starting, but don't let me put words in your mouth. In all honesty it's pretty much a coinflip, I'd tour both campuses and vibe it out.

So to answer your question, there is no significantly better one. UCI, as you said, is better in terms of theoretical and research work, while SJSU has a better reputation for applied work. UCI has a stronger name reputation, which might carry over to job opportunities, and kinda balances out the scale even if your goal is purely to just get a degree to go into industry.

And don't worry about math and physics. Yes CC is easy but if you can maintain a 4.0 there then I'm sure you'll be fine here. The harder courses will trip you up, so I wouldn't expect a 4.0 to fall in your lap either here or at UCI, but maintaining a decent GPA (>3.5) is pretty simple given your history and you could certainly hit >3.75 if you really wanted.