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    Friday, November 13

    IU football game day: USC at Indiana primer and prediction

    Mike SchumannBy IU Football No Comments
    Indiana football takes the field for its game against Ohio State on Oct. 17, 2026 (Photo by Seth Tow for TDH)

    Suddenly, IU football finds itself in what could end up being a College Football Playoff elimination game.

    Back from a much-needed week off, the Hoosiers take on a USC squad on the uptick after a win over Ohio State.  There likely won’t be a spot for both of these teams in the CFP.

    Here’s everything you need to know about Indiana’s week 11 matchup against the Trojans in Bloomington.

    No. 18 USC TROJANS (7-2) at No. 9 INDIANA HOOSIERS (8-1)

    • Kickoff:  3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday
    • Location:  Bloomington, Ind.; Memorial Stadium (56,626; field turf)
    • Television:  CBS — Brad Nessler (pbp), Charles Davis (color) & Jenny Dell (sideline)
    • Stream:  Paramount Plus (or via your streaming provider)
    • Radio:  IU Football radio network
    • Odds:  Indiana is around a 9.5-point favorite
    • Weather at kickoff:  47 degrees, partly cloudy, wind 7 mph, 0% chance of precipitation.
    • Series:  USC leads the all-time series 4-0.
    • Tickets:  SOLD OUT.  Use our StubHub affiliate link
    • The Coaches:
      • Curt Cignetti is in his third year as the head coach at IU.  He holds a 154-38 record in his 16th season as a college head coach.  He’s 35-3 at Indiana.
      • Lincoln Riley is 42-20 in five seasons at USC.  He’s 97-30 in 10 total seasons as a head coach.

    GAMEDAY TIMELINE

    THE COMPLETE BIG TEN WEEK 11 SLATE

    Friday, November 13

    Illinois at UCLA — 9 p.m., FOX

    Saturday, November 14

    Northwestern at Ohio State — 12 p.m., FOX
    Wisconsin at Maryland — 12 p.m., FS1
    Nebraska at Rutgers — 12:30 p.m., Big Ten Network
    Michigan at Oregon — 3:30 p.m., FS1
    USC at Indiana — 3:30 p.m., CBS
    Washington at Michigan State — 4:15 p.m., Big Ten Network
    Minnesota at Penn State — 7 p.m., FS1
    Purdue at Iowa — 7:30 p.m., NBC

    TALE OF THE TAPE 

    AVAILABILITY REPORT

    Image

    USC RESULTS

    Date Time At Opponent Result
    Aug 29 (Sat) 12:00 p.m. Home San José State Los Angeles, Calif. W 42-26
    Sep 4 (Fri) 6:00 p.m. Home Fresno State Los Angeles, Calif. W 39-0
    Sep 12 (Sat) 8:00 p.m. Home Louisiana Los Angeles, Calif. W 49-30
    Sep 19 (Sat) 12:30 p.m. Away Rutgers Piscataway, N.J. W 42-35
    Sep 26 (Sat) 4:30 p.m. Home Oregon Los Angeles, Calif. L 27-41
    Oct 3 (Sat) 4:30 p.m. Home Washington Los Angeles, Calif. W 25-21
    Oct 10 (Sat) 4:30 p.m. Away Penn State University Park, Pa. W 31-23
    Oct 24 (Sat) 4:30 p.m. Away Wisconsin Madison, Wis. L 7-24
    Oct 31 (Sat) 4:30 p.m. Home Ohio State Los Angeles, Calif. W 30-18

    USC NOTES AND NUMBERS

    (Via USC Athletics)

    MAIAVA MAGIC

    * Jayden Maiava completed 15 of 22 passes for 222 yards and a touchdown without an interception against Ohio State.  Maiava leads the Big Ten in completions per game (22.0), passing touchdowns (20) and passing yards (2,524).  He has accounted for 22 touchdowns through 9 games, throwing 20 and rushing for 2 with just 5 interceptions.

    * Maiava’s opening nine-game stretch compares favorably with the greatest quarterbacks in USC history. Through nine games, Maiava’s 66.9 completion percentage is the best among the group, while his 20 passing TDs are 8 fewer than Caleb Williams, 2 fewer than Carson Palmer and the same number Matt Leinart recorded during their respective nine-game starts.

    * He is currently eighth on USC’s career total offense leader board with 7,568 total yards of offense as a Trojan. Maiava also ranks 13th on USC’s single season passing leader board with 265 completions in the 2025 season.

    MOSLEY MANIA

    * Freshman WR Trent Mosley has been one of the most thrilling athletes in college football in 2026.  Through just six games, he has produced 32 catches for 512 yards (16.0 avg.), a team-leading 6 touchdowns and has 212 yards on 8 punt returns (26.5 avg.), including an 86-yard return for a touchdown against Louisiana.

    MAKING HIS MARK

    * USC freshman TE Mark Bowman made one of the most incredible plays of the 2026 college football season against Ohio State.  His career-long 70-yard catch in the third quarter was the longest play of the game, taking USC from its own 27-yard line to the Ohio State 3.

    * Bowman, the 6-foot-5, 245-pounder leads all FBS freshman tight ends in targets (31), receptions (24) and yards receiving (283), while ranking second in touchdown catches (2), despite missing three games this season.

    BACKS IN BUSINESS

    * In 2026, RB King Miller has tallied 603 rushing yards on 125 carries (4.8 avg.) with 4 TDs. He’s also recorded 7 receptions for 41 yards (5.9 avg.). He has recorded three 100-yard rushing games: 128 yards against Louisiana and 102 yards each against Rutgers and Penn State. Miller has surpassed 1,600 career rushing yards and 13 career rushing touchdowns.

    FRONT FIVE FORCE

    * USC’s offensive line was named to the 2026 Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll.

    * Per PFF, OL Elijah Paige is No. 3 among all Power Four offensive linemen and No. 1 in the Big Ten with a minimum of 350 block snaps with an 84.8 offensive grade, No. 3 in the Power Four and No. 2 in the Big Ten with an 90.7 pass block grade and No. 3 in the Big Ten and No. 9 in the Power Four with a 80.0 run block grade.

    WAFLE HOUSE

    * Few defensive freshmen have been as disruptive or dominant as DE Luke Wafle, On3/Rivals’ No. 1 overall prospect from the 2026 class. Wafle, a Midseason True Freshman All-American as named by On3/Rivals, 247Sports and The Athletic, is the true freshman leader in QB Pressures across the FBS this season with 23.

    * He has recorded 36 total tackles (26 solo), including 8.5 TFLs and 3 sacks.

    THE AUSSIE ADVANTAGE

    * P Lachlan Carrigan, from Melbourne, Australia, is averaging 48.7 yards on 17 punts this season, a mark that would rank fifth nationally among the listed leaders, though he does not meet the leaderboard’s minimum 3.6 punts-per-game requirement.

    INDIANA CONNECTIONS

    * USC Special Teams Coordinator / Linebackers Coach Mike Ekeler was Indiana’s co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2011-12.

    MORE USC WEEK COVERAGE

    PREDICTIONS

    The Indiana offense springs to life just enough to eke out another too close for comfort win.

    TDH PREDICTION:  INDIANA 27 USC 24

    • ESPN SP+ (Computer):  Indiana 31 USC 20  (74% win probability for IU)
    • ESPN FPI (Computer):  Indiana has a 78.2% chance to win.

    For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.

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