USC vs. Indiana: Playoff Stakes Headline Big Ten Clash in Bloomington

Two ranked teams with postseason ambitions meet Saturday afternoon when the No. 18 USC Trojans travel to face the No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers in a Big Ten showdown carrying College Football Playoff implications. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind., with the game airing on CBS and Paramount+.

The Trojans arrived ahead of the FAA ground stoppage on Friday, avoiding any travel disruption before one of their biggest games of the season. Both programs enter the contest coming off a bye week.

USC (7-2, 4-2) brings momentum into Bloomington following a 30-18 upset of Ohio State. The Trojans have leaned on a high-scoring offense all year, putting up 30 or more points in all but three games.

Indiana (8-1, 5-1), the defending national champion, counters with one of the nation's elite defenses. The Hoosiers will, however, be without running back Turbo Richard for the matchup.

History favors the visitors on paper. USC leads the all-time series 4-0, though Saturday marks the first meeting between the two programs as conference foes.

Oddsmakers side with the home team. Indiana is a 9.5-point favorite, and the over/under is set at 51.5 in the latest USC vs. Indiana odds.

The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulated the game 10,000 times, is leaning toward the Over on the total. The model projects 52 combined points, with the Over hitting 55% of the time. That pick runs against a recent trend: each of USC's last four games has finished Under the number, and this is the first Trojans game all season with a total below 50 points.

Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava has thrown for 2,525 yards and 20 touchdowns against only five interceptions this season, leading an offense that ranks among the most productive in the country.

Indiana expects quarterback Josh Hoover to be available after some injury concerns earlier in the week. Running back Lee Beebe Jr., who has topped 700 rushing yards this year, is in line to fill the void left by Richard's absence.

Beyond the total, the model also indicates that one side of the spread cashes in well over 60% of its simulations, a pick available exclusively at SportsLine.