The No. 19 USC Trojans get a week 7 breather, but that doesn’t mean Trojans fans will be short on meaningful football to watch. With Lincoln Riley and his team on the sideline, there are still a handful of Saturday games that could shape USC’s path the rest of the way.
The clearest must-watch matchup is No. 4 Ohio State against No.
5 Indiana. It brings together the highest-ranked teams on the week 7 slate, and it also features USC’s two highest-ranked remaining opponents.
The Trojans will host Ohio State on Oct. 31, then head to Indiana on Nov. 14.
If USC is going to strengthen its College Football Playoff case, an upset over either team would help a lot, so this game should tell Trojans fans plenty. Indiana has survived some tight moments against Northwestern and Nebraska, while Ohio State has mostly looked dominant despite its loss to Texas in week 2.
The big question: does one of these teams leave the matchup looking a little more vulnerable?
USC fans should also keep an eye on Wisconsin vs. No.
12 UCLA. Like Ohio State-Indiana, this one involves two upcoming Trojans opponents.
It could even turn into the kind of game that matters for USC’s own schedule, especially if the Trojans are tempted to look ahead to Ohio State. Wisconsin will be worth evaluating for that reason alone.
UCLA, meanwhile, is dealing with a major change after losing starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava to a season-ending injury in the Bruins’ upset win over the Oregon Ducks. How the Bruins handle that adjustment against the Badgers is something USC fans can learn from on Saturday.
There’s also a notable top-10 showdown between No. 8 BYU and No.
2 Notre Dame. With USC and Notre Dame no longer continuing their rivalry after failing to reach a scheduling agreement, the Fighting Irish filled that open spot by adding BYU.
This will be the first game in a home-and-home series between the two programs, and it will send the Cougars to South Bend in 2027. Both teams are undefeated and ranked in the top 10, which helps give the matchup some of the juice that disappeared when Notre Dame’s series with USC was paused.
Finally, Oregon vs. Nebraska could draw plenty of attention from USC fans for a different reason.
The Ducks are the Trojans’ only loss on the schedule, so their standing matters to USC’s resume. If Oregon beats Nebraska, it could eventually help USC by giving that defeat more weight as a “quality loss” if the Ducks climb back into the AP Top 25 Poll.
That’s not exactly an easy rooting interest, especially with Oregon coach Dan Lanning on the other sideline, but it gives Trojans fans a strange kind of hedge. If the Ducks win, USC gets a slight boost.
If they lose, West Coast rival or not, plenty of Trojans fans probably won’t mind at all.
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UCLA Heads Into Wisconsin Test With Availability Concerns Fans Will Notice
UCLA heads into its home matchup with Wisconsin carrying the kind of availability questions that can reshape a game plan before kickoff. The Bruins are already without Mikey Matthews and Nico Iamaleava for the season, and Tao Johnson is expected to miss this one as well, thinning out the options in a stretch where depth matters just as much as talent.
The biggest immediate concern is the status of starting tackle Jordan Davis and cornerback Rodrick Pleasant, both of whom are listed as questionable. If either is limited, UCLA could feel it in two spots that matter most against a Big Ten opponent: protecting the quarterback up front and holding up in the secondary on the back end. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA's Undefeated Start Faces Its Toughest Test Yet
UCLA heads into its matchup with Wisconsin still unbeaten, but the tone around the Bruins has shifted from celebration to evaluation. The offense has found enough balance early to keep winning, and the running game has helped steady the team while the defense has done its part to preserve the start. Now the spotlight turns to the latest move under center, with the Bruins asking a new face to guide them through a game that should tell plenty about where this season is headed.
Wisconsin brings the kind of defense that can make life difficult for any quarterback, let alone one trying to settle in against a tougher opponent. For UCLA, the challenge is less about style points than survival, and the margin for error figures to be thin if the Bruins cannot keep the ground game effective and the defense sharp. The bigger question hanging over this one is whether the offense can keep its rhythm when the opposition starts dictating the pace. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA's New QB Draws A Brutal Week 7 Test For Bruins Ground Game
Ty Dieffenbach is set to make his first start at quarterback in Week 7, and the timing does not exactly hand UCLA an easy runway. The Bruins are still leaning on a run-heavy approach, which means the offense will be asking a lot from a ground game that has to set the tone if Dieffenbach is going to settle in smoothly against Wisconsin.
The matchup puts even more pressure on Wayne Knight, UCLAs leading rusher and the most obvious way for the Bruins to keep the chains moving. Wisconsins defense has the kind of linebacking talent that can make life miserable in that sort of game, and UCLAs challenge will be finding enough answers up front to keep the debut from turning into a long afternoon. [Read more 🡒]