USC vs Northwestern Prediction: The Trojan Push For the CFP
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At 6-2, USC is still knee deep in the hunt for the Big Ten title and College Football Playoff hunt – one of the losses was to Notre Dame. But it needs some help – it doesn’t play Indiana or Ohio State – and it has to step up its game.
It struggled on the road – it took too much work to get by Nebraska last week – but it’s been fantastic at home. It gets three of its last four in Los Angeles with Iowa next and UCLA to close, but it still has to go to Oregon.
Northwestern is still looking for that sixth win and bowl eligibility after losing to Nebraska two weeks ago. It doesn’t have it easy with Michigan, Minnesota, and at Illinois to close, but winning this would be extra sweet.
USC is 5-0 in the series, with the last meeting starring Keyshawn Johnson in the 1996 Rose Bowl.
USC vs Northwestern Preview
How To Watch USC vs Northwestern
Date: Friday, November 7, 2025
Game Time: 9:00 PM ET
TV: FOX
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
– CFN Top 25 Rankings
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Why Northwestern Will Win
The Wildcats have to control the clock, keep the clock moving, and make sure this doesn’t get out of hand right away.
They deliberately set up easy third down tries, convert, repeat, and keep the clock moving. This only works if they can keep USC to under 23 points, going 0-3 when allowing that many or more, and 5-0 when giving up fewer.
But there was a reason for the three losses, along with having to play Oregon.
Turnovers. The Wildcats gave it up eight times in the three defeats, and just once in the wins. That goes hand-in-hand with keeping the score low.
The team doesn’t take chances and, again, keeps things moving. USC was held to 21 points by Nebraska last week. The big plays and takeaways from the defense have slowed, and …
Why USC Will Win
USC will score well over 20 points, and it’ll come up with at least one takeaway.
Again, this is a much, much different team in Los Angeles, and Northwestern is a much, much different team away from Evanston.
Maybe it’s the time change, the trade, or because it faced Notre Dame and Illinois, but USC looked and played sluggish against Nebraska and Purdue.
On the flip side, the Wildcats are far different when playing on the patio on the lake that serves as their makeshift stadium.
More meaningfully, forget about slowing down the Trojans if you don’t get to quarterback Jayden Maiava. Northwestern doesn’t have a good enough pass rush to take over.
USC vs Northwestern Prediction, Betting Lines
These are college kids, and it shouldn’t matter, but the second half will start at around 10:30 pm Chicago time.
Northwestern will do a good enough job defensively to keep this from getting out of hand, but USC will get up early, and the defense will hold on from there.
The Wildcats won’t have the second half pop to pull this off, with two turnovers opening it up a little bit.
USC 34, Northwestern 17
Line: USC -14.5, o/u: 50.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Must See Rating: 3
Consensus Line from BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Related: College Football Bowl & Playoff Picture Week 11: Every Team, Every Conference
This story was originally reported by College Football News on Nov 7, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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