USC’s Nov. 14 trip to Bloomington is already looking like a steep climb.
DraftKings Sportsbook has installed the Trojans as 10.5-point underdogs against Indiana, setting up a road test that could loom large in USC’s 2026 College Football Playoff chase. The matchup comes in Lincoln Riley’s fifth season and marks the first time USC will see the Hoosiers since the Trojans joined the Big Ten in 2024.
It’s also the fifth meeting ever between the programs. The last time they played was in 1982, when USC beat Indiana 28-7 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Indiana enters the season as the defending national champion, and even after losing Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Hoosiers are still viewed as one of the Big Ten’s top teams. Curt Cignetti’s group also added two big transfer-portal pieces this offseason: former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover and Michigan State wide receiver Nick Marsh.
That pairing gives Indiana another dangerous offensive look, and it’s one USC’s secondary will have to handle when the teams meet at Memorial Stadium.
The Trojans won’t arrive in Bloomington without some heavyweight games of their own first. USC has two major Coliseum matchups ahead of that date, hosting Oregon on Sept. 26 and Ohio State on Oct.
- Those games figure to shape the Trojans’ playoff path long before they get to Indiana.
If USC stumbles against both Oregon and Ohio State - and then takes care of the rest of its schedule - the Indiana game could become a straight-up CFP elimination spot. That’s especially true given USC’s road issues in recent seasons. Last year, all three of the Trojans’ regular-season losses came away from the Coliseum, against Illinois, Notre Dame and Oregon, and each of those defeats saw USC allow more than 30 points.
A win in Bloomington as a big underdog would change the conversation fast. It could also give quarterback Jayden Maiava a chance to strengthen his case as an underrated Heisman Trophy contender.
USC opens the 2026 season on Aug. 29 at home against San Jose State. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. PT, and NBC will carry the game.
In Other News...
USC Is In A Battle It Cannot Afford To Lose For Local Star
Hayden Koo has become one of the more closely watched local names in USCs recruiting orbit, and for good reason. The four-star wide receiver from Tustin has drawn attention from a long list of programs that includes Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, BYU, Stanford and UCLA, but the Trojans have made a clear push of their own as they try to keep one of Southern Californias better prospects close to home. Koo was on campus for The Opening Finals and later took part in an invite-only USC prospect camp, where he worked out with coach Chad Savage and came away with an offer.
The next stretch of the recruiting calendar could matter a lot here, because Koo is planning to take game-day visits this season even though nothing is locked in yet. USC is one of the schools he wants to see, and the late-September home date against Oregon is already on his radar, which gives the Trojans a chance to make a stronger impression in front of a local target who still has plenty of options. For USC, the appeal is obvious: keeping a top California receiver from drifting elsewhere is exactly the kind of battle it cannot afford to lose. [Read more 🡒]
USC Could Catch Wisconsin In A Coach's Most Desperate Game
Lincoln Rileys seat at USC still draws plenty of attention, but the more fragile situation in this matchup belongs to Wisconsin and Luke Fickell. The Badgers have gone through two straight down years, and after the rough 2025 season, plenty of observers expected a change. Instead, Wisconsin is trying to buy time and stability, while USC enters the game with the kind of expectation that usually comes with being the more talented team on paper.
For the Trojans, that makes this one feel less like a toss-up and more like a chance to keep a struggling opponent from finding any footing. USC is expected to handle Wisconsin, and anything short of that would raise immediate questions about where this program is headed under Riley. For Fickell, the pressure is even more immediate, because the margin for error in Madison has already shrunk to the point where every game now feels like part of a final exam. [Read more 🡒]
USC Ace Mason Edwards Just Delivered A Huge Draft Moment
Mason Edwards rise at USC ended with the kind of draft moment that confirms just how far his college career came. After missing most of the 2025 season because of injury, the former Trojans pitcher returned in 2026 and turned himself into one of the most dominant arms in the country, finishing with 8 wins, a 2.07 ERA and 15.9 strikeouts per nine innings while anchoring USCs staff.
The season also brought national recognition, with Edwards emerging as a finalist for the National Pitcher of the Year Award and earning Baseball Americas pitcher of the year honor. His performance made him the highest-drafted USC player since Brad Boxberger in 2009, and now he heads into the Athletics minor league system with the sort of momentum that can change the early shape of a pro career. [Read more 🡒]