Overview
- Kickoff is 9 p.m. ET at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with a national broadcast on FOX.
- USC enters 6-2 (4-1 Big Ten) and Northwestern is 5-3 (3-2), with USC ranked No. 19 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings.
- USC’s backfield turns to freshman King Miller (509 rushing yards, 7.8 per carry) with Waymond Jordan listed as doubtful, while Northwestern leans on Caleb Komolafe after Cam Porter’s season-ending injury.
- Sportsbooks list USC around -14.5 with a total near 50.5, and projection models cited by CBS Sports/SportsLine are siding with the Trojans to cover.
- USC returns home on a short week after a road win at Nebraska, Northwestern comes off a bye, and the Trojans lead the all-time series 5-0.