USC heads to Bloomington with a clean injury report and a lot on the line.
The No. 18 Trojans are 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten, and they come out of their second bye week set for a showdown with No.
9 Indiana on Saturday. The Hoosiers are 8-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play, and this one carries major weight for both the Big Ten race and USC’s push toward its first College Football Playoff appearance under Lincoln Riley.
Thursday’s Big Ten availability report brought no changes for USC, leaving the Trojans in position to take the field as healthy as they’ve been entering a game this big. That matters, because they’re trying to follow up one of the signature wins of Riley’s time in Los Angeles - a 30-18 upset of then-No. 2 Ohio State at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Halloween night.
Indiana comes in after a very different stretch. Cignetti said the Hoosiers had been dealing with uncharacteristic play against Michigan and Minnesota, and both games required overtime wins. That stretch also included a quarterback switch, with Josh Hoover being benched for Grant Wilson.
Oddsmakers still see USC as the underdog. DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Trojans as 8.5-point underdogs for Saturday’s game, after the line moved around quite a bit during the week. It opened at 7.5 points, climbed to 10.5 on Wednesday, and then settled back into single digits.
The rankings have shifted too. USC moved up two spots in the latest CFP Top 25, while Indiana dropped five places from No. 4 to No. 9 despite being on a bye. UCLA, Notre Dame, Texas, and Tennessee all passed the Hoosiers.
Indiana’s home form adds another layer to the challenge. The Hoosiers have been strong at Memorial Stadium under Cignetti, with their only home loss coming Oct. 17 in a 19-15 defeat to Ohio State.
A major chess match in this game will be USC quarterback Jayden Maiava against Indiana’s defense. Maiava has been one of the country’s most productive passers in his second season as the Trojans’ full-time starter, with 2,524 yards, 20 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
Indiana’s defense will be looking for a takeaway opportunity. Before he went down with a right shoulder injury in Ohio State’s win over the Hoosiers, Julian Sayin threw two interceptions and finished 15 of 29 for 235 yards. The Hoosiers will try to create that kind of disruption against Maiava.
USC’s defense has its own job to do against Indiana’s offense. With first-year defensive coordinator Gary Patterson in charge, the Trojans have improved every time they’ve taken the field. Their best showing came in the Ohio State upset, and they’ll need something similar again if they want to leave Bloomington with another big win.
Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT Saturday at Memorial Stadium, with CBS carrying the broadcast. USC has never lost to Indiana and is 4-0 all-time against the Hoosiers.
In Other News...
Indiana Gets One Encouraging Sign Before Must Win USC Matchup
Indiana at least got one bit of positive injury news heading into a must-win matchup with USC, with quarterback Josh Hoover expected to be available after being left off the initial injury report. Coach Curt Cignetti still has not named a starter, but he said Hoover will be in uniform if he stays clear of the report, giving the Hoosiers some stability at the most important position as they try to keep their season on track.
The rest of the availability picture is less reassuring. Leading rusher Turbo Richard and defensive end Kellan Wyatt have already been ruled out, while cornerback A.J. Harris and linebacker Rolijah Hardy are listed as questionable, leaving Indiana with several key spots still unsettled. Even with Hoover trending in the right direction, the Hoosiers are heading into a game where every healthy body matters, and the final lineup could shape how much room they have to compete with USC. [Read more 🡒]
Indianas Quarterback Uncertainty Just Got Bigger Before USC
Indianas quarterback situation got a little murkier this week as Curt Cignetti sorted through a room already under scrutiny ahead of USC. Grant Wilson missed practice because of the flu, while Josh Hoover was held out for injury recovery, leaving the Hoosiers to lean more heavily on backup Jacob Bell, who drew praise from Cignetti for the way he handled his work on the field.
The timing is less than ideal with USC looming, especially with Cignetti already pointing to the Trojans offense and defense as a major test. Indiana also has some cleanup to do in other areas, including special teams, which adds another layer to a week that was already going to be about finding answers before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Urban Meyer Just Reignited Indianas CFP Respect Debate
Indianas place in the College Football Playoff conversation took another public hit this week when Urban Meyer weighed in on the rankings, and the former coach did not exactly defend the Hoosiers standing. On FOX, Meyer pointed out that Indiana slid from No. 4 to No. 9 even without playing in Week 10, using the drop as evidence that the committee may have overvalued the Hoosiers early on.
The larger debate around Indiana has only grown louder as Notre Dame and UCLA moved up in the rankings and the Big Ten and Big 12 continue to jockey for playoff representation. Meyers comments fed right into the skepticism around Indianas rsum, with unimpressive wins and a shaky strength of schedule becoming the central sticking points in how the Hoosiers are being judged. [Read more 🡒]