The defending national champs open a new quarterback era right as USC finally looks like it has the whole roster to match its talent.
Bush’s Picks
USCIU
USCIU
OverUnder
Best BetIndiana
Indiana's defending its first national title, and the calling card that got them there — a front seven that led the country in tackles for loss — should still cause problems for whoever lines up across from it. USC brings back more continuity than almost anyone in the country, with Jayden Maiava entering his third year in the same system, so this is no layup for the Hoosiers. Take Indiana at home behind that defense, but don't expect a comfortable night.
USC
+Maiava back, was Big Ten's top passing QB last year
+Gary Patterson hire fixes long-standing defensive holes
+Nation's No. 1 recruiting class boosts depth
−Roster still among the younger groups in the sport
−Center O'Connor, WR Hines both nursing injuries
−0-4 all-time vs. Indiana, hasn't won in Bloomington since '81
Indiana
+Defending national champs off a historic 16-0 season
+Elite front seven: 46 sacks, nation-best 129 TFLs
+Nation's best special teams unit a year ago
−Replacing Heisman winner Mendoza with transfer Hoover
−Hoover carries real career turnover concerns
−O-line banged up all spring (Smith, Lynch, Wilkin)
Indiana didn't just win a national championship in 2025 — the Hoosiers ran the table at 16-0, becoming the first team in FBS history to finish a season perfect at that clip. Now Curt Cignetti has to do it without Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza under center, handing the keys to TCU transfer Josh Hoover, who arrives with real production (9,629 career passing yards, 71 touchdowns) but also a turnover habit nobody in Bloomington wants to see resurface against a loaded USC roster.
USC, meanwhile, looks like the most complete version of a Lincoln Riley team yet. Jayden Maiava is back for a third straight year in the same system, the Trojans return 17 starters — more than anyone else in the Big Ten — and the addition of Gary Patterson as defensive coordinator was one of the most universally praised hires of the offseason. Riley's staff has stayed remarkably stable, and after fielding the conference's best scoring offense a year ago, anything short of real Big Ten contention would be a letdown.
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IU Indiana
Both sides have real question marks heading into the fall. Indiana's offensive line was banged up all spring without Carter Smith, Bray Lynch and Baylor Wilkin, and Hoover was throwing behind a patchwork group even in the spring game. USC isn't spotless either — center Kilian O'Connor is still working back from the knee injury that ended his 2025 season, and the roster remains one of the younger groups in the country despite all that returning experience up top. Neither camp has put out a real injury report yet since kickoff is still months out, but both are worth tracking once fall practice opens.
USC Trojans
Oct 30?vs Ohio State—
Oct 9?@ Penn State—
Oct 2?vs Washington—
Sep 25?vs Oregon—
Sep 19?@ Rutgers—
Sep 12?vs Louisiana—
Sep 4?vs Fresno State—
Aug 29?vs San José State—
Indiana Hoosiers
Oct 30?vs Minnesota—
Oct 16?vs Ohio State—
Oct 9?@ Nebraska—
Oct 3?@ Rutgers—
Sep 25?vs Northwestern—
Sep 19?vs Western Kentucky—
Sep 12?vs Howard—
Sep 5?vs North Texas—
Recent form.
The history here is lopsided on paper — USC has won all four meetings between these programs and hasn't taken the field in Bloomington since 1981 — but almost none of that means much given how different both rosters look now. This is Indiana's marquee test as a title defender at home, and it's the kind of game that could carry real weight in the Big Ten race and the College Football Playoff picture come mid-November.
By the time Friday, November 13 actually rolls around, this will read a lot differently once fall camp battles get settled and both rotations take shape. For now, it's simply one of the most anticipated Big Ten dates on the calendar: a defending champ breaking in a new quarterback against a team that's finally built to match its talent with results.
