When you look around the Big Ten these days, there's a lot of uncertainty. Nearly half the league is down to its backup quarterback, whether due to injury or by choice. The only undefeated team in the conference is UCLA, while Oregon's conference title hopes are hanging on by a thread. Ohio State just picked up a huge win, but faces the prospect of being without Julian Sayin for the rest of the season.
It's chaos, and when chaos is around, there's a chance someone unexpected will emerge and take advantage of it. So while No. 16 USC's trip to Madison this weekend to face Wisconsin might not be the headliner game of the weekend, it's a chance for two teams to step forward and stake a claim in the conference.
USC has won two straight since dropping a game to Oregon, and perhaps most surprisingly, one of those wins has come on the road. The Trojans are 2-0 outside the Coliseum, which has been a serious problem for them during Lincoln Riley's tenure. Now they're back on the road facing a Wisconsin team coming off its first Big Ten loss at UCLA last week.
The winner stays in the Big Ten title race with a chance to capitalize on the chaos. The loser will have to hope for a lot more chaos to befall the rest of the league going forward.
USC vs. Wisconsin: Need to know
Wisconsin has struggled with USC: They haven't shared a conference for long, but there is familiarity with these programs. Familiarity Wisconsin would sooner forget. USC is 7-1 all time against the Badgers, with the lone loss coming in the 2015 Holiday Bowl. They've only played once as Big Ten foes, and USC won that game 38-21 in Los Angeles during the 2024 season. As for the trip to Camp Randall, USC has won both the games in Madison, though the last meeting came in 1965. NCAA eligibility rules change every day, but I'm pretty sure none of the players who played in that game have remaining eligibility.
Lincoln Riley is good off a bye: While Wisconsin was in Los Angeles losing to UCLA last week, USC was in Los Angeles chilling on the couch watching. That's typically been a good thing for the Trojans. Under Lincoln Riley, USC is 5-1 coming off a bye and has won three straight.
Wisconsin has performed poorly in these spots of late: Wisconsin has played six home games against AP-ranked opponents under Luke Fickell. It has won only once in those six games. That win came last season against No. 24 Washington. As for the five losses, four of them have come by at least 14 points, though all four of them were against top-4 teams in the poll.
Where to watch USC vs. Wisconsin live
Date: Saturday, Oct. 24 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Camp Randall Stadium -- Madison, Wisconsin
TV: NBC | Live stream: Fubo (try free)
USC vs. Wisconsin prediction, picks
Wisconsin is probably looking at the weather forecast for this game and wondering what it did to offend the weather gods. If there was any time to wish for temperatures in the 40s with biting wind, it's when USC is coming to town. Instead, the forecast is calling for temperatures in the 60s with a manageable breeze. Still, even if the weather won't have an oversized impact, I like the under here. USC may have won its two road trips so far this season, but the offense didn't look great against Penn State, and this Wisconsin defense is good. I also don't have much faith in the Wisconsin offense. Pick: Under 50.5
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