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...
Lincoln Riley Just Put USC Fans On Notice About Jonas Williams
Lincoln Rileys latest comments on Jonas Williams offered a little more clarity on where USCs quarterback future could be headed. The true freshman has been developing behind the scenes, and Riley pointed to noticeable improvement, especially after backup quarterback Sam Huard returned from injury and the room got a little more competition and structure around it.
For Trojan fans, the bigger takeaway is what Riley said about Williams long-term ceiling. With Jayden Maiava currently in place, the conversation is naturally about what comes next, and Riley sounded encouraged enough to suggest Williams could be in that mix down the road. It also fits the broader pattern around Rileys track record with quarterback recruiting at USC, where every development in the room tends to draw extra attention because the stakes are always so high. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Injury Problems Could Change Everything Against Indiana
USC heads into Week 11 carrying the kind of injury uncertainty that can reshape a game plan before kickoff, and the Trojans may have to lean on youth in spots they probably did not expect this late in the season. Freshman running back Shahn Alston and wide receiver Ethan Feaster are among the younger players whose roles could grow, giving USC a chance to find help from players who have already flashed enough to keep the staff interested.
Indiana brings a defensive front that can make life difficult and a rushing attack that forces opponents to answer in kind, so this matchup could come down to how well USC handles the physical side of the game. If the Trojans are going to stay balanced, they may need more bodies involved in the front seven and a steadier ground approach than usual, which makes the availability of key pieces even more important as game day approaches. [Read more 🡒]
USC Defender Just Made Indianas Offensive Threat Impossible To Ignore
Chasen Johnson has settled into a useful rotating role in USCs secondary, and the redshirt sophomore cornerback has made the most of his snaps through eight games. He has 14 tackles, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery, production that has come while the Trojans have leaned on depth in the back end and asked multiple corners to stay ready from week to week.
Now the attention shifts to No. 9 Indiana, a matchup Johnson sees as a real test for USCs defense. He pointed to the Hoosiers strong run game and the variety they bring at receiver, while also noting the Trojans progress in tackling, the growing camaraderie in the secondary and the impact second-year corners coach T-Reed has had on his development. [Read more 🡒]