The No. 16 USC Trojans head into one of the louder road settings in college football with an unusual side story working in their favor: Wisconsin fans may have something else demanding their attention.
USC visits unranked Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium, where the setting is usually the kind that rattles visiting teams. The stadium holds 76,030 and is ranked No. 9 nationally on 247Sports’ list of the sport’s toughest places to play. Even so, DraftKings lists USC as a three-point favorite, a sign this one is expected to be tight despite the rankings gap.
The wrinkle is happening just over an hour away in Milwaukee. The Brewers are in the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, and that could split the attention of fans across the state.
Milwaukee’s run is especially notable because it is the club’s first World Series appearance in 44 years. For Wisconsin supporters, Saturday night brings two major events almost at the same time.
Wisconsin kicks off against USC at 6:30 p.m. CT, while Game 2 of the World Series begins at 7 p.m.
CT. With both games overlapping, some fans may have to choose where their attention goes, and the Brewers’ first championship chase since 1982 is the kind of thing plenty of people won’t want to miss.
That split focus is already affecting the scene in Madison. LineLeap, the app that lets users pay to skip lines outside bars, has sold out at some popular downtown venues, adding another layer of chaos for students trying to find a place to watch or celebrate after the Badgers game.
USC could use any break it can get, especially with a penalty problem that has followed the Trojans through the first seven games. According to USC’s official statistics, the Trojans have been flagged 44 times for 390 yards, which works out to 6.3 penalties and 55.7 penalty yards per game. They did, however, survive a recent road test at Penn State in the Nittany Lions’ famous White Out game.
Even if Camp Randall is still a difficult place to operate, a slightly less frenzied crowd could matter. Crowd noise can make it harder for an offense to hear the snap count and sort out communication at the line, and false starts or other pre-snap mistakes can turn a drive sideways in a hurry.
So while Wisconsin will still have plenty of support, the Brewers’ postseason run may leave USC facing a version of Camp Randall that is just a little less overwhelming than usual. In a game expected to be decided by small margins, that could be enough to matter.
In Other News...
Wisconsin's Kingston Allen Is Making This Recruitment Much More Tense
Kingston Allen keeps giving Wisconsin plenty to like and just as much to worry about. The high school running back, already the touchdown leader in Wisconsin state history, recently added another milestone by setting a school rushing record, a reminder that his production has stayed at a level few recruits can match. Badgers running backs coach Jayden Everett has been making sure Allen knows how strongly Wisconsin wants him, and the program has good reason to stay aggressive.
The tension comes from the fact that Allens recruitment is no longer one-sided. He has also visited Ohio State, which has offered him a scholarship, adding a heavyweight suitor to a race Wisconsin would prefer to keep quiet. For now, Allen remains publicly committed to the Badgers, but the combination of his continued standout play and Ohio States involvement has made this one of the more competitive recruiting battles Wisconsin has on its hands. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Just Got A New Reason To Believe Against USC
Saturdays matchup gives Wisconsin a fresh point of optimism against USC, even with the Badgers entering as a slight underdog. The pregame read is straightforward enough: Wisconsin has leaned on a strong pass defense, while USC has been especially efficient on third down, setting up a classic strength-on-strength feel for a game that could swing on a few key possessions.
The added intrigue is that Wisconsin already has some national attention leaning its way, with the College GameDay crew picking the Badgers to win. For a team looking to prove it can hang with a high-profile opponent, that kind of support does not decide anything, but it does reinforce the idea that an upset is at least within reach if Wisconsin can make USC uncomfortable in the right spots. [Read more 🡒]
Wisconsin Faces One Problem That Could Kill Its Upset Shot
Wisconsin comes home after the loss to UCLA with a chance to reset against USC, and the matchup asks the Badgers to lean on what has kept them competitive. Their defense has been the steadier part of the team, while the offense has faced real questions, especially with the run game needing more consistency against a Trojans front that can make life difficult. With Wisconsin listed as a three-point underdog, this is the kind of spot where a home crowd can matter, but only if the Badgers can control enough of the game to keep USC from dictating the pace.
The concern is obvious enough: if Wisconsin cannot move the ball on the ground, the burden shifts to a defense that will have to create extra possessions and win the hidden battle of turnovers. USC brings the kind of offensive skill that can punish mistakes quickly, which means the Badgers will need a cleaner performance than they showed in the loss to UCLA. There is a path to an upset at home, but it likely depends on Wisconsin finding some traction early and making USC work for every point. [Read more 🡒]