The No. 18 USC Trojans are heading into their second bye week of the season with a huge result already in the rearview mirror, but the schedule isn’t giving them much time to breathe.
After knocking off then-No. 2 Ohio State, USC now turns toward a Nov. 14 road matchup with No.
6 Indiana, and the kickoff details are in.
USC and Indiana will play at 12:30 p.m. PT, with CBS carrying the game.
That setup keeps the Trojans out of an evening road kickoff, and it also means USC won’t be on NBC for this one after appearing on the network in six of its first nine games.
The betting market hasn’t caught up yet, at least not on the major books. DraftKings and FanDuel have not released updated odds for the matchup, though ESPN analytics gives Indiana a 79 percent chance to beat USC at home.
The Hoosiers will also be coming off a bye, which makes this a rare stretch where USC has to deal with back-to-back opponents that had an extra week to prepare. Ohio State came in rested before the Trojans beat the Buckeyes on a rainy Halloween night, and Indiana will have the same advantage in week 11.
That win over Ohio State changed the conversation around Lincoln Riley’s team. It was Riley’s first top-five win at USC, and it pushed the Trojans firmly back into the College Football Playoff picture.
USC handled the moment by doing what it needed to do on both sides of the ball. The Trojans held Ohio State to 18 points, jumped out to a 14-3 lead, and never gave it back. Jayden Maiava threw for 222 yards and a touchdown, while USC’s running game added 116 yards and two scores.
The numbers weren’t all in USC’s favor, though. Ohio State moved the ball better overall, finishing with more yards through the air and on the ground and stacking up 25 first downs to USC’s 15.
But the Trojans tightened up when it mattered most, especially in the red zone, where the Buckeyes kept settling for field goals. Ohio State also hurt itself with 11 penalties for 71 yards.
Indiana has been much cleaner in that area. The Hoosiers rank No. 5 nationally in penalty yards per game at 34.8, a sign of a disciplined team that doesn’t give away much for free.
Both teams will have two weeks to get ready, and there’s a question of which staff benefits more from the extra time. USC didn’t exactly make the most of its first bye week, coming out flat in a 7-point loss at Wisconsin.
Indiana, meanwhile, has not had a bye yet this season. That could matter if quarterback Josh Hoover needs the extra recovery time after coach Curt Cignetti said he pulled Hoover from the Minnesota game after the Indiana quarterback got hit.
The Hoosiers still managed to beat Minnesota 23-16 in overtime. Backup Grant Wilson stepped in and finished with 156 passing yards and a touchdown, while also rushing four times for 26 yards. With Ohio State also dealing with quarterback uncertainty after the injury to Julian Sayin, USC may need to prepare for two quarterbacks again before it faces Indiana.
In Other News...
Ohio State Just Got A New Recruiting Concern After USC Upset
USCs upset of Ohio State did more than shake up the scoreboard at the Coliseum. It also gave the Trojans a jolt on the recruiting trail, with fans and 2028 running back prospect Malaki Davis joining the field rush after the game and leaving with a vivid first impression of the programs energy and atmosphere.
Davis, who spent time around the celebration and interacted with USC legend Marcus Allen, came away clearly enthused about the Trojans. The moment also arrived as Lincoln Riley tried to quiet outside noise about his future, issuing a handwritten statement to reinforce his commitment to USC, adding another layer to a night that could resonate well beyond one win. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Got National Validation For Its Biggest Win Yet
The win over No. 2 Ohio State is still resonating well beyond Los Angeles, and now it has brought USC another round of national recognition. The Football Writers Association of America named the Trojans the Pop-Tarts Bowl Crazy Good Team of the Week after the 30-18 upset on Oct. 31, a result that pushed USC to 7-2 and back into the AP Top 25 at No. 18.
It is a notable honor for a program that has been waiting a long time for this kind of weekly spotlight. This is USCs fifth selection for the award, and its first since 2013, which says plenty about how rare this sort of validation has been even in seasons when the Trojans have had big moments. After beating one of the sports premier teams, they have at least earned a fresh national platform, with the bigger question now being how much staying power that performance will have. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Made Its Biggest November Question A Lot More Interesting
USCs win over No. 2 Ohio State did more than add another marquee result to the rsum. It pushed the Trojans to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in conference play, with Lincoln Riley getting a performance that looked as complete as anything USC has put together this season. Freshman tight end Mark Bowman was part of the story, and Trent Mosleys 69-yard touchdown early in the game helped set the tone for a night that felt bigger than a single upset.
Ohio State still moved the ball on the ground, finishing with 204 rushing yards, but USCs defense tightened when it mattered most and held the Buckeyes to just one red-zone touchdown. For a team trying to sort out its November ceiling, that kind of response is what makes the conversation around the Trojans suddenly a lot more interesting. [Read more 🡒]