USC’s final off week of the regular season did the Trojans no favors.
With the team idle, USC fans had plenty of scoreboard-watching to do across the country. What they got back was a rough slate of results that made a lot of familiar enemies look better and, in a few cases, made USC’s own résumé feel a little less shiny.
Notre Dame delivered the first gut punch. A week after USC knocked off the No. 2 team in the country, the Trojans’ hated rivals went out and beat No.
1 Miami. That win put Notre Dame in a strong spot to reach the College Football Playoff.
Then came UCLA. The crosstown rival also strengthened its playoff case by moving to 9-0 with a road win over Minnesota.
USC’s big win over Ohio State last week took another hit in value when Oregon, a team Trojans fans don’t exactly love either, went into Columbus and dominated the Buckeyes. That result made the earlier USC victory look a lot less impressive.
Utah stayed unbeaten as well, becoming the only undefeated Power Four team left besides UCLA. That’s not exactly the kind of company USC fans wanted to see.
And the weekend kept rolling in the wrong direction with Texas and Oklahoma, two more teams that don’t sit well with the USC crowd, both picking up road wins over ranked opponents on Saturday.
The one thing USC still has going for it is control. If the Trojans win their final three regular-season games, they’re in the College Football Playoff. If they don’t, the path could get ugly fast, with several rivals potentially making the playoff while USC settles for another ordinary bowl trip.
In Other News...
Maryland Lands In A USC Spot That Could Change Everything
USCs November 21 matchup with Maryland now has a set stage, with the Big Ten Network carrying the game and a 3:15 p.m. PT kickoff in what will be the first meeting between the programs since 2024. It also lands as the Trojans final regular-season home game, which gives the afternoon a little extra weight beyond the usual conference scheduling note.
Jayden Maiava will be the quarterback under center for that last home date, adding another layer to a stretch that already feels pivotal for USC. The Trojans still have a major test ahead against No. 4 Indiana before closing the regular season at home, so the Maryland game may end up carrying more meaning than it first appears when the schedule was released. [Read more 🡒]
USC Suddenly Holds A Surprising Amount Of Power In The Big Ten
Desman Stephens hit on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has already rippled well beyond the moment itself, because Moore is now out for the rest of the season and the Ducks path forward has become tangled with what USC does next. The Trojans, suddenly, find themselves in the middle of a conference race that extends past their own standings, with their upcoming game against Indiana carrying weight far beyond a single November result.
Indiana sits atop the Big Ten with one conference loss, and a USC win would reshape the league picture in a hurry while also keeping Oregons College Football Playoff hopes alive. For a program still trying to establish itself in its new conference home, it is an unusual kind of leverage to have this late in the season, and it makes the USC-Indiana matchup feel like more than just another Saturday game. [Read more 🡒]
USC Just Got A Big Ten Opening Fans Need To Watch
The Big Ten race keeps shifting around USC, and the latest weekend only added more layers to sort through. Illinois took down Nebraska, UCLA handled Minnesota, Maryland got past Purdue, Penn State slipped by Washington, Oregon knocked off Ohio State, Wisconsin beat Rutgers, Michigan State topped Michigan and Iowa got by Northwestern, a run of results that reshuffled the league picture in a hurry and gave the Trojans even more reason to keep one eye on the standings.
For USC, the takeaway is less about any single upset and more about how wide open the conference still feels. With so many teams taking turns looking vulnerable or dangerous, the Trojans are watching a league where momentum can change fast and where every result can alter the path ahead. The early read is clear enough: the opening is there, but the margin for error in the Big Ten remains thin. [Read more 🡒]