The biggest game of the week in the Big Ten is in Bloomington, Indiana, where the No. 9 Hoosiers host No. 18 USC Trojans (3:30 p.m. ET on CBS, Paramount+ Premium).
Both teams come into the game with everything to play for and plenty to prove as they try to make their case for inclusion in the College Football Playoff committee's final bracket at the beginning of next month.
The Hoosiers will feel particularly slighted after dropping five spots in the second release of the CFP Rankings despite being idle on a bye week. At No. 9, they are now in a precarious position for a playoff berth, as the committee sent a loud and clear message that Indiana needs to prove it belongs, even as the reigning national champs.
On the other side, the 7-2 Trojans have known for weeks that they have to run the table to make the bracket. That once seemed like a nearly impossible task, but after taking down Ohio State two weeks ago, belief started to build in Los Angeles once again. Now USC must prove that win over the Buckeyes wasn't a mirage, but proof of a real late-season surge.
As the biggest Saturday of the season approaches for both teams, we wanted to take a look at five key things to watch as the Hoosiers and Trojans meet in Week 11.
1. Big Ten, CFP implications
Indiana's path to both the College Football Playoff and the Big Ten Championship Game is simple: win out. If the Hoosiers beat USC and then take care of business against Washington and Purdue, they'll get another trip to Indianapolis and lock down a spot in the 12-team bracket -- and potentially a top-4 seed.
However, a loss to USC might knock the Hoosiers out of the playoff even with just two losses. Indiana's schedule this year was not strong, and if they end the year with losses in their two biggest games against Ohio State and USC -- both at home -- the committee could leave the reigning champs out. A loss would also throw the Big Ten title race into chaos as there could be seven teams tied at 5-2 by the end of this weekend for second behind No. 4 UCLA.
USC winning this game would put them in position to earn their way into the playoff as well. Given the Trojans end the season against UCLA, they could pick up three ranked wins in their final four weeks which, even with two losses, would all but guarantee them a spot.
As for the Big Ten title game, USC needs to win out and then hope for some help if they want to play in Indy: another Oregon loss, as the Ducks currently own the tiebreaker in the crowded group with two losses.
2. Indiana's quarterback concerns
We're going to start with the concerns for both teams, and for Indiana, the glaring issue this season has been quarterback play. Josh Hoover struggled to fill the massive shoes left by Fernando Mendoza from the start in Bloomington, and while the raw production early in the season wasn't bad, the Indiana offense clearly wasn't operating at the same level.
Once Big Ten play arrived, the Hoosiers have struggled to consistently move the ball and find the end zone, resulting in tense rock fights, including back-to-back games against unranked opponents that required overtime heroics.
This past Saturday against Minnesota, the Hoosiers made a quarterback change at halftime to Grant Wilson -- with it unclear how much Hoover getting banged up late in the first half played in that decision. The backup did some good things to lead the comeback effort against the Gophers, including a couple late dimes to Charlie Becker, but the Indiana offense still wasn't firing on all cylinders.
Curt Cignetti has unsurprisingly refused to divulge any information about who will be under center on Saturday against USC, coming off Indiana's bye week. Whether it's Hoover or Wilson, the simple fact is Indiana has to be better in the passing game and put more points on the board.
With two dynamic receivers in Becker and Nick Marsh, there's not a good excuse for how mediocre the Hoosiers have been as a passing attack. Scoring 16.75 points per game (their average the last four weeks) isn't going to cut it for the Hoosiers if they want to defend their title, and it's now or never for the offense to come to life against a USC defense that has been porous all season.
3. Lincoln Riley's road woes
On the other side, USC is trying to change their own narrative as one of the worst road teams in the Big Ten. In the last three years, Lincoln Riley's squad is 5-7 on the road in Big Ten play and has a loss at Notre Dame on top of that. Considering one of those wins was a cross-town trip to face UCLA, the Trojans have a dreadful 4-8 record in road trips outside Los Angeles over the past three seasons.
For USC to finally make believers out of fans (and the playoff committee) that this year really is different, they need to get a statement road win. Saturday in Bloomington couldn't be a better opportunity, but the Trojans have to seize it.
This is an Indiana team that comes in sputtering offensively, and for as poorly as USC's defense has played all year, their most recent performance against Ohio State was one of their best.
The Trojans limited the big plays and were able to hold freshman starter Luke Fahey and the Buckeyes to field goals in the red zone. That's got to be the formula again against Indiana, a team that has been extremely mediocre in the red zone this season (54th in TD percentage; 72nd in score percentage).
However, the real test will be on the offensive side of the ball, where Jayden Maiava has to be at his best in a hostile environment. The last time USC went on the road, they rushed for negative yards against Wisconsin, and Maiava was picked off twice in their worst performance of the season, scoring just seven points before being run off the field by the Badgers.
That the Trojans offense, which is supposed to be the strength of Riley's teams, looked so inept against a quality defense on the road (again) sounded alarms among the USC faithful. Riley getting a home win over Ohio State quieted some of the noise about his job, but if the Trojans lay another egg on the road, everyone will point to this being the same ol' USC and questions about his ability to get the most out of the Trojans will start up again.
4. Hoosiers' dominant defense
Now let's turn to what makes these teams playoff contenders despite their flaws. On Indiana's sideline, it is the defense that carries the torch and has willed them to wins in recent weeks. While the offense has sputtered, the defense has refused to let this season get away from the Hoosiers and has kept the dream of back-to-back titles alive.
Indiana is allowing just 12.4 points per game this season, and that's not just buoyed by a weak opening schedule. In Big Ten play, the Hoosiers are allowing just 16 points per game, and even in their lone loss to Ohio State, they allowed 19 points (and that was mostly against a full-strength Buckeyes offense with Julian Sayin).
The Hoosiers' success starts up front where they have a dominant defensive line led by Tobi Osunsami, who leads the Big Ten in tackles for loss (15.5) and sacks (10.0). The secondary isn't quite as elite as it was a year ago with D'Angelo Ponds, but Amare Ferrell has stepped in as the ball-hawk for the Hoosiers with three interceptions this season.
Indiana has settled into being one of the best defenses in the country again, and one of their strengths is limiting big plays. The Hoosiers are 13th nationally, allowing just 25 plays of 20+ yards, and what they will ask of Maiava and the USC offense is whether they can move the ball consistently without many quick strikes downfield.
Indiana has one of the nation's elite defenses. In a season where every team seemingly has a flaw, that makes them a contender, even with an offense that's lagging behind.
5. USC's fantastic freshmen
That Hoosiers defense will be challenged by a USC offense led by veteran quarterback Maiava, but gets its dynamism from the young skill-position players around him.
Trent Mosley, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Mark Bowman are Nos. 1, 2 and 4 on the Trojans in receiving yards and touchdowns this season, and all three are part of Riley's top-ranked 2026 recruiting class. It is rare for a program in the portal era to bring in three freshmen that can have that kind of impact at the skill positions for a team competing at this level.
USC's offense is the strength of the team, and it's largely powered by youngsters who have arrived and taken over in their first year in the Big Ten. Mosley has been dominant when he's been on the field, averaging 85.3 yards per game in his six appearances, including five catches for 101 yards and a touchdown against Ohio State. Dixon-Wyatt took over as the leading receiver when Mosley was hurt and has moved back into a secondary role, but both freshmen provide tremendous juice to the receiving corps.
Then there's Bowman, the highly touted tight end recruit who put his name on the map nationally against Ohio State with one of the great individual efforts of the season.
JUMP SCARE‼️@Mark_Bowman09 with the PLAY OF THE YEAR! pic.twitter.com/MmLolTdFFr
— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) November 1, 2026
The Trojans' young receiving stars will need to provide a jolt against Indiana's stout defense, but their combination of size and speed will present a unique challenge for the Hoosiers to deal with.
