USC moved up to No. 14 in the new US LBM Coaches Poll, presented by USA TODAY Sports, even though the Trojans were idle on Saturday.
The bigger story came elsewhere in the Big Ten, where Oregon’s win over Ohio State shook up the conference race. Before the weekend, Ohio State still appeared to control the path to the Big Ten title game thanks to its head-to-head win over Indiana, which had the Buckeyes in position to meet UCLA in the Big Ten Championship Game. After the loss to Oregon, Indiana is now the team lined up to face UCLA in Indianapolis in December.
And USC is next on Indiana’s schedule.
That makes the Trojans’ trip to Indiana on Saturday, November 14, a massive one. If USC can somehow win out and finish with just two losses in the Big Ten, those defeats coming against Oregon and Wisconsin, it still has a shot at winning a multi-team tiebreaker involving Ohio State, a team USC beat, and Indiana, which USC would have beaten if it runs the table and finishes 10-2. That path could send the Trojans into the Big Ten Championship Game, with UCLA potentially waiting there.
In other words, the Indiana game could decide whether USC gets the chance to play UCLA once in the regular-season finale and then again in Indianapolis the following week. But none of that happens unless the Trojans take care of the Hoosiers first.
USC has everything to play for. Now the question is if USC can play well enough to make it really count.
In Other News...
USC Just Got Pulled Into A Fascinating Arch Manning Debate
Jayden Maiavas decision to return to USC and skip the 2026 NFL Draft gives the Trojans some needed clarity at quarterback, and it also keeps Lincoln Rileys offense in the conversation for another season. Maiava is likely playing his final games in cardinal and gold this year, which makes the long-term picture at the position worth watching even as USC focuses on the present.
That backdrop is part of why NFL Network draft scout Daniel Jeremiahs recent Arch Manning speculation landed with so much attention. Jeremiah floated USC as a possible landing spot if Manning ever entered the transfer portal, pointing to the Trojans offensive talent and Rileys history of developing quarterbacks. Nothing is official, and there is no indication Manning is on the move, but the mere idea of USC being mentioned in that kind of debate says plenty about the programs pull. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Lone 2028 QB Commit Is Giving Lincoln Riley More Momentum
Lincoln Riley has spent the fall building around one quarterback target in the 2028 class, and Trey Wright has only strengthened that push. The Texas native has climbed to four-star status after a junior season that included 58 total touchdowns and a perfect 10-0 record for his high school team, and he has already made multiple trips to campus this fall.
For USC, the appeal goes beyond the rankings bump. Wright remains the lone quarterback commit in the 2028 class, which gives his recruitment an outsized importance as Riley continues to shape the future of the room. The visits, the production and the early commitment all point in the same direction, even if there is still plenty of time left for the story to evolve. [Read more 🡒]
USC Volleyball Finally Got The Reset Trojans Fans Needed
USC womens volleyball finally got the kind of clean reset it had been looking for, rolling past Rutgers in straight sets to snap a four-match losing streak. The Trojans looked sharper in all the areas that had been nagging them during the skid, hitting .351 as a team with 42 kills and 12 blocks while keeping Rutgers to a .133 hitting mark.
Mia Tvrdy, London Wijay and Adonia Faumuina were central to the response, giving USC the steadier, more complete performance it needed after a rough stretch. It was the sort of win that does more than just change the record for a night - it gives a team a chance to breathe, regroup and start building again with a little more confidence. [Read more 🡒]