USC @ IU

A ranked Big Ten test in Bloomington

ESPN’s Nov. 2026 listing has No. 20 USC at 7–2 and No. 4 Indiana at 8–1, with Indiana at home; Curt Cignetti said IU had played nine straight and would use the open week to get refreshed.

Different profiles at quarterback

The matchup listing gives Jayden Maiava 2,524 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions, versus Josh Hoover’s 1,860 yards, 19 touchdowns and two interceptions; a podcast noted Hoover had 40 attempts facing Ohio State.

Indiana’s defense is the statistical separator

Indiana allowed 4.1 yards per play versus 5.5 for USC, making sustaining drives against the Hoosiers a central matchup question; Lincoln Riley said USC stayed focused on improving defensively regardless of opponent or quarterback.

Game-week availability is not settled

As of Nov. 8, no game-week injury report was available for the Nov. 14 matchup; Indiana’s first report was due Nov. 11. Lincoln Riley said USC had been down some players in the receiver room and could see a couple of new faces.

Pick Ideas

Angles drawn from the matchup analysis above and refreshed as the news changes. They are a separate read from the LineCrush pick for this matchup, so the two can land on different sides.

Lean under 58.5, with a cautious stake

Indiana’s four most recent listed game totals were 39, 34, 19 and 37 points, while Curt Cignetti said the offense “frazzled a little bit” and at times could not get lined up right, supporting an under lean at 58.5.

Shop the spread or wait

Action Network lists Indiana -7.5, while TeamRankings lists -10 and flags its line as stale or suspect; compare prices before considering a side. Riley said USC’s roster and health allowed it to be more aggressive this week.