USC walked into one of the loudest stages in college football and came out with something it badly needed: proof it can win that kind of game.
The Trojans’ 31-23 victory over Penn State in Week 6 came in front of a record crowd of 114,419 for the Nittany Lions’ annual White Out, the kind of road setting that has swallowed plenty of teams whole. USC had struggled away from home since joining the Big Ten in 2024, but this result gave that storyline a real jolt.
Jayden Maiava was at the center of it all. The USC quarterback threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, and even if the numbers weren’t his flashiest of the season, the moment made it his most impressive showing in Cardinal and Gold so far. He delivered in the kind of game where mistakes usually decide everything.
The defense closed the door after halftime, giving up only six points over the final two quarters. Then, with under four minutes left, safety Christian Pierce’s peanut punch helped seal the win.
Now the Trojans head into their first bye at 6-1, still in control of their College Football Playoff path. Lincoln Riley made it clear after the game that he sees this as more than one big night.
“Winning tough games like this are everything,” Riley said. “You look up at the end of the season, the teams that win tough road games are kind of there in the end.
We proved that we can do that. Watch out for this group.
We got a couple of bye weeks upcoming in this stretch here. We’ll get a couple of guys healthy.”
“We got some young guys getting better really fast. Just scratching the surface. You saw a little bit of the firepower tonight but there’s way more left in this group and we’re gonna get better and better and if we keep doing that we’re gonna be tough.”
A big part of that upside starts with USC’s freshman class, which arrived with serious buzz and has backed it up early. The Trojans made noise in the 2026 cycle by signing the No. 1 recruiting class, becoming the first non-SEC school since 2008 to do it. With general manager Chad Bowden in place since January of last season, that pipeline is already showing up on Saturdays.
Trent Mosley wasted no time making his presence felt again against Penn State, finishing with nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown in his return to the lineup. The reigning MaxPreps California Player of the Year has gone over 100 receiving yards in three of his four games and has posted at least 100 all-purpose yards in every game he’s played. When he’s out there, he has looked like USC’s most dangerous offensive weapon.
“He’s one of our best players. So anytime you take away best players from any team in the country, you’re going to feel it, and you’ve got to overcome it and move on,” Riley said.
“But obviously, getting him back added a huge boost for us. He’s a tremendous playmaker.
He’s tough to tackle after the catch. We trust him a lot.
Jayden trust him a lot, so that certainly made a big difference in the game.”
Kayden Dixon-Wyatt has been just as important in his own way, leading the team in receptions and receiving yards. Tight end Mark Bowman, another freshman from Mater Dei (Calif.), was a day-one starter and sits third on the team in receptions and fourth in receiving yards. Bowman’s value goes beyond the passing game, too, since he has also been a major factor as a run blocker.
Bowman has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, but he is expected back after the bye.
On the other side of the ball, freshman defensive end Luke Wafle, the No. 1 overall recruit, was USC’s best defender through the first quarter of the season. That conversation has gotten more interesting since sophomore defensive lineman Jahkeem Stewart made his season debut against Oregon in Week 4. At cornerback, Freshman Rock Hill has essentially split starting duties with Chasen Johnson opposite Jontez Williams.
USC’s freshman group keeps showing up in other places, too. Boobie Feaster and Tron Baker have been key reserve receivers.
Tomuhini Topui and Jaimeon Winfield have helped on the defensive line. Shahn Alston has chipped in at running back, and Vlad Dyakonov has been part of the tackle rotation.
The bye should also help clear up some health issues. Left tackle Elijah Paige was a late addition to the injury report and missed the Penn State game.
Defensive lineman Jide Abasiri played only one snap after suffering a lower-body injury on the final drive against Washington in Week 5. Both veteran starters are expected to be available coming out of the break, while several other Trojans are dealing with minor bumps and bruises that come with the season.
The schedule does not ease up. USC goes to Madison on Oct. 24 to face Wisconsin in another loud road environment, with a 4:30 p.m.
PT kickoff on NBC for the fourth straight game. Ohio State comes to town on Oct. 31, followed by another bye week and then a road trip to Bloomington to face Indiana, the defending national champions.
The Trojans will host Maryland on Nov. 21 and finish the regular season against a surging UCLA team on Nov. 28.
In Other News...
BYU Has A Chance To Change How USC Sees The Cougars
USC gets a week off in Week 7, a useful pause after a fast start and a chance to sort through the bigger picture of what still lies ahead. The Trojans are not just watching their own recovery and preparation during the bye, either. They also have an eye on a handful of games involving future opponents, matchups that could end up shaping the way USC is judged when the College Football Playoff conversation heats up later in the season.
Among those games, BYUs trip to Notre Dame stands out as a chance for the Cougars to make a stronger impression on USC. The Trojans will also be tracking Ohio State against Indiana, Wisconsin against UCLA and Oregon against Nebraska, since each result says something different about the quality of the road still ahead. For USC, the bye is useful, but so is the information it can gather while the rest of the schedule keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]
USC's Playoff Path Could Suddenly Get Much Easier Under New Format
USCs road to the College Football Playoff may not look so steep in a few years. Reports indicate the postseason bracket is expected to grow from 12 teams to 24 as early as 2027, a shift that would change the calculus for programs trying to stay in the national picture. For the Trojans, the most immediate takeaway is simple: the margin for error could widen, and a season that once felt like it needed to be nearly flawless might still keep them in the conversation.
Under the proposed setup, the Big Ten champion would be guaranteed a top-eight seed and a first-round bye, another sign of how much weight the league is expected to carry in the expanded format. USC would still have to do its part, but the path to inclusion could become much more realistic, with an 8-4 record or better potentially enough to get in. Beyond the Trojans, the change would ripple through the Big Ten and SEC hierarchy, reshaping how teams are judged in a playoff era that may soon look very different. [Read more 🡒]
USC Found Something Huge Up Front In Its Toughest Road Test
Freshman offensive lineman Vlad Dyakonov got his first career start in USCs road game at Penn State, a difficult spot for any lineman and an especially demanding one for a newcomer. With Elijah Page sidelined by injury, Dyakonov was thrust into the lineup and held up well as the Trojans front kept the pocket relatively clean and helped the offense move the ball on the ground and through the air.
For a unit that needed stability more than flash, Dyakonov delivered a steady answer in one of the toughest environments on the schedule. Afterward, Jahkeem Stewart and Lincoln Riley both singled out the freshman for his composure and the way he handled the moment, a sign USC may have found an unexpected piece up front when it needed one most. [Read more 🡒]