Particle.news
Download on the App Store
14 ARTICLES
·
1h ago

No. 21 USC Visits No. 23 Illinois in FOX’s Big Noon Top-25 Matchup

Early start, coverage lapses, a vocal coach set the context for USC’s first ranked test.

Will Luke Altmeyer and the Illinois Fighting Illini beat the USC Trojans on Saturday? Big Ten football predictions, picks, odds preview the college football Week 5 game on Sept. 27, 2025.
Image
Image
Image

Overview

  • Kickoff is Saturday at 11:00 a.m. local (noon ET) at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, televised on FOX with Big Noon Kickoff broadcasting on site featuring Matt Leinart.
  • USC enters 4-0 with a top-five scoring offense (52.5 points per game) and top-three yardage output (583.8 per game), facing its first ranked opponent of 2025.
  • Illinois is 3-1 after a 63-10 loss to Indiana and has been dealing with injuries in the secondary heading into Bret Bielema’s fifth season test.
  • BetMGM lists USC as a 6.5-point favorite with a total around 59.5, as multiple prediction models lean toward the Trojans without treating the outcome as certain.
  • Lincoln Riley criticized the quick turnaround from a late-night game to a noon kickoff, and defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn labeled recent coverage busts “completely unacceptable.”